The Final Count - The Life of Dan Kiely

Colourful, charismatic, loyal, hard-working, controversial - these are some of the words people have used to describe politician and businessman Dan Kiely. But who is the real man? Dan's achievements have been dissected in the pages of The Irish Examiner, The Phoenix, and The Kerryman, but which account is true? A close confidant of former taoisigh Charles Haughey and Bertie Ahern, readers will be shocked and amused by his insights into the inner workings of power. From a scoop into the resignation of Minister for Justice Seán Doherty, to a very personal account of Ireland's Machiavellian political culture, The Final Count is a hard-hitting memoir.Emigrating to the United States at the tender age of seventeen, Dan Kiely became the youngest ever holder of a nightclub license in New York state, managing the lively 'Red Mill'.Acts like Joe Dolan, 'Big Tom' McBride and rock n' roll legend Roy Orbison would perform in ballrooms managed by Kiely in Dublin, Youghal, Tralee and Ballybunion. The Final Count's rare glimpse into how the Irish senator managed the stars is not to be missed.As a senator, Kiely would distinguish himself as a champion of Irish immigrants. The story of how he personally delivered 15,000 visa applications to a centre in Virginia will both delight and shock readers.Dismissed as a 'whippersnapper from Kerry' by the press, this book presents Dan Kiely's own version of his political life. Co-written with publisher and former journalist Jeremy Murphy, The Final Count provides a very personal account of a life that was often under the media spotlight. Unlike the memoirs of so many of his rivals, Dan Kiely's ends in triumph, on the steps of the Irish Supreme Court.