PJ Mara and I met for the first time in a large hotel in Killarney in 1986. As an RTE reporter, I had been invited to the hotel to film Scartaglen priest Fr Neil Horan and a Buddhist nun dancing for peace before the then taoiseach Charles Haughey and the Fianna Fáil faithful of south Kerry.

The event was a celebration of John O'Leary's lengthy membership of the Dáil for the constituency. Mara quickly realised that, while the piece might make entertaining television, it would do nothing for the credibility of his political master.

After deliberating for several hours, he eventually decreed that the event would not go ahead. When a reporter from the local newspaper asked Mara why the dancing had been cancelled, the PR guru saw red.

He stormed across the lobby of the hotel and hissed at me: "I know you. I know all about you -- and I'll get you for this."

Well, it's taken 16 years, but it's Mara who has eventually been found out. The Flood Tribunal report devoted an entire chapter to `Mr PJ Mara and the Promoters of Century Radio'. Mara was press secretary to Fianna Fail between 1983 and 1987, when he was appointed government press secretary. He held that position until February 1992, when he moved into the private sector.

During his time as press secretary, he experienced "financial difficulties" and received at least £48,000 from his friends Oliver Barry and Dermot Desmond in the form of interest-free "loans" -- with no fixed schedule for repayment.

Mara's involvement with the promoters of Century Radio came to the attention of the tribunal when businessman James Stafford claimed that, before the issue of the Independent Radio and Television Commission franchises, there was a rumour that minister Ray Burke and Mara expected to receive £90,000 for the independent television licence, £75,000 for each of the Dublin radio licences and £25,000 each for the local radio licences.

Stafford said promoter Oliver Barry had told him in 1990 that Mara was seeking £30,000 from Century. Stafford also said that businessman Dermot Desmond told him at a meeting in March 1990 that he had lent Mara £100,000. Desmond maintained that he arranged the meeting to discuss the provision of "consultancy services" by Mara to Century but did not discuss any figures. Mara and Barry also rejected Stafford's allegations.

Mara's first affidavit of discovery to the tribunal was inadequate and he had to swear a second one to "tidy up matters not scheduled properly". He initially "forgot" to inform the tribunal that he was the beneficial owner of an account in the Isle of Man. The tribunal charitably described his lapse of memory as "unlikely".

The tribunal also considered it "highly improbable" that Century would have considered paying £60-70,000 per annum to Mara in March 1990.

The report said that, if Stafford's account was correct, Desmond was engaged in a "blatant attempt to extort money from Century's promoters" for Mara.

It said that one or more of the people at the 1990 meeting had "deliberately set out to give a false account of what had taken place", but it was unable to resolve the conflict of evidence. Perhaps Mara's resignation last Friday will help resolve that conflict.