Ivan reveals why he’s working so hard
BROADCASTER Ivan Yates has revealed that the only reason he is working so hard now is to buy back his family home following his bankruptcy.
The former agriculture minister told presenter Lucy Kennedy in Virgin Media’s Living With Lucy that he plans to retire when he turns 60 next year.
He revealed: ‘I always did everything on the basis that I was going to die at 57 because my father died at 57. So I kind of got everything else out of the way, farming, politics, business and media.
‘My plan is to retire at 60. The reason I am working my nuts off is to get my home back.’
Speaking of his bankruptcy following the collapse of his Celtic Bookmakers chain, Yates said: ‘Mostly I feel guilty in that it was my father’s dying wish to pass the house on to the next generation.’
Yates said of his Dáil career: ‘People keep asking, “Do you miss politics?” But they don’t realise to get re-elected, to get 8,000 votes… requires you to be a professional funeral-goer, community worker, social worker, advocate, amateur lawyer and give free legal aid.’