Athlone native embroiled in European Court of Auditors row
by Adrian Cusack Updated: Wednesday, 30th November, 2011 5:00pm
An Athlone native was last week at the centre of a major controversy over the appointment of his successor to the European Court of Auditors.
Eoin O'Shea, the outgoing Irish representative on Europe's audit body, grew up in Arcadia Court, Athlone, where he lived from the ages of 4 to 22.
He hit the headlines last Thursday when it emerged that he had sent emails that raised questions about his proposed successor, Kevin Cardiff, to two MEPs who were scrutinising the nomination.
Mr O'Shea subsequently apologised for the emails, which he said were sent in a "moment of madness" after he learned the Government would not be nominating him to stay on in his job, which he has held since March 2010.
In one of the emails, Mr O'Shea described Mr Cardiff as "an Irish civil servant who was responsible for financial supervision during the period of the collapse of the Irish banks."
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore both expressed disappointment with the content of the emails. Mr Cardiff's nomination to the European Court of Auditors was rejected by the European Parliament's committee on budgetary control by just one vote.
Speaking before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs last week, Mr O'Shea said he had apologised to Mr Cardiff over the emails.
"At that stage I may have been a little angry in relation to the matter," said Mr O'Shea. "I have subsequently revised my opinion, having met the gentleman and understood his interest in the position. I would apologise to him for sending that email. I did it in a moment of heat."
Mr O'Shea is the son of Alphonsie, who worked in the Bank of Ireland in Athlone from 1980 to 2001, and Ryna, who worked in the Dean Crowe Theatre. Following their retirement, his parents moved to Kerry.
A former member of Ogra Fianna Fail, Mr O'Shea attended primary school at the Fair Green and Marist National Schools, and he played soccer for St Francis FC prior to starting secondary school at Garbally College in Ballinasloe.
In February 2010, at the age of 33, he was appointed to the European Court of Auditors to fill a vacancy left by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, whose term was due to expire in February 2012
