Irish media tycoon and personal friend of Bill Clinton, Denis O’Brien, won’t be thanking Richard Desmond on Friday for an interview in the Irish Times. Nor, will Sir Tony O’Reilly who was Desmond’s joint venture partner in the Irish version of the Daily Star. “I didn’t like O’Reilly,” Desmond reveals,” before admitting he had never properly met him, but has heard him give a speech. “He stood up and talked about rugby and Heinz Baked Beans,” he says. “He thought he was better than me.” But it is chance meeting with O’Reilly’s successor as owner of the Irish Independent that will rankle with O’Brien, who is proud of his connections with the former US president. Desmond reveals he once met O’Brien “at the Bill Clinton fundraising horseshit”. O’Brien has donated between $5m and $10m to Bill’s foundation and has stoutly defended the relationship that has flowed.
