“He seemed to have it all.”
At the height of Ireland’s economic boom, property investor Breifne O’Brien was the definition of upper middle class: expensive ski trips, an Aston Martin in the driveway and a holiday home in Barbados were standard signatures for a man of his social standing.
However, his lavish life was a fantasy funded by a Ponzi scheme, with O’Brien spending 15 years making victims of his trusted circle of friends.
As the global economic crash hit, O’Brien’s house of cards came tumbling down, and a prison cell awaited him.
Today, he’s back on the golf course and in gainful employment.
On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Kevin Doyle is joined by Sunday Independent journalist Maeve Sheehan to chart the downfall of Breifne O’Brien and his surprising reinvention.