Denis O'Brien in €450,000 libel payout

Telecoms billionaire settles with former health minister Mary Harney after gaffe at radio station Newstalk.

Irish media telecoms billionaire Denis O'Brien has paid out close to €450,000 (£405,000) to settle a libel action with a former health minister.

Mary Harney, who was part of the recently ousted Irish government, was libelled by a guest on his radio station Newstalk.

The gaffe occurred during an innocuous chat when the guest believed they were off air.

The station made several on-air apologies at the time of the libel.

O'Brien, who is also a significant shareholder in Independent News & Media and was recently embroiled in controversy over the circumstances in which he won a mobile phone licence, personally approached Harney before the out-of-court settlement.

"This is an enormous amount of money. It could close down a lesser station that wasn't owned by someone like Denis O'Brien," said one source at Newstalk.

(Published by The Guardian - May 4, 2011)