Former agriculture minister Barry Cowen has said he is not a victim but he has suffered the consequences of an unfortunate mistake for which he has paid a dear price.

Former agriculture minister Barry Cowen has said he is not a victim but he has suffered the consequences of an unfortunate mistake for which he has paid a dear price.
He said he had apologised on many occasions and would do so again for his lack of judgement.
Mr Cowen was sacked by Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Tuesday night following revelations about his drink driving ban four years ago.
Mr Cowen, who was in office for just 17 days, has strenuously denied any allegation that he attempted to avoid a garda checkpoint in 2016.
He did receive a three-month road ban at the time for drink-driving for which he apologised.
Speaking on Midlands 103, Mr Cowen said there are some outstanding issues and he has begun processes seeking rectification of those.
He restated the message he sent to Offaly Fianna Fáil supporters earlier this week that “the party is bigger than me and definitely bigger than Micheál Martin or anyone else”.
Mr Cowen said there was a difference of opinion between him and the Taoiseach on “how the issue would evolve” and he believed there was potential for him to seek rectification but the Taoiseach did not share that view.
He said his personal data was leaked and compromised.
The issue is now the subject of three investigations by gardaí, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and the Data Protection Commissioner.
Mr Cowen said he had received great words of comfort and support from local members and he now had to show leadership and resilience.