[1][2] He was educated at Coláiste Eoin, University College Dublin and King's Inns.
[4] In 1995, he and Michael Smith, the head of the environmental group An Taisce, sponsored a IR£10,000 reward for "information leading to the conviction on indictment of a person or persons for offences relating to land rezoning in the Republic of Ireland”.
James Gogarty, a retired employee of construction firm JSME, responded with information about payments to Ray Burke, a Government Minister and former chairman of Dublin County Council.
Initially set up to investigate illegal payments received by Burke, the tribunal ran from November 1997 to March 2012 investigating a number of cases arising from payments made to Burke.
A former member of Fine Gael, in the 2002 Irish general election he unsuccessfully ran in the constituency of Dublin South-East, as a running mate to sitting Fine Gael TD Frances Fitzgerald.