The government's appointed a former Fine Gael senator to a lucrative European role worth a quarter of a million euro per year.

Eugene Regan has been chosen to take up the role of Ireland's member of the European Court of Justice, replacing Aindreas Ó Caoimh whose tenure will expire in October. 

A former Fine Gael councillor, he ran for the party in Dún Laoghaire in the general election in 2007 - and later made it into the Seanad where he served for four years.

He has no experience as a judge, but has served as a barrister for 20 years, having been called to the Bar in 1985.

He has been a senior counsel for ten years, and also served in the cabinet of Ireland's former EU commissioner Peter Sutherland from 1985 to 1988.

His most significant contribution to Irish politics was in 2010, when he used the Seanad to raise allegations of perjury against former defence minister Willie O'Dea, which led to O'Dea's resignation from cabinet.

Regan can now look forward to a healthy pay packet in Luxembourg, with a basic annual salary of €250,000, plus perks like a chauffeur-driven car.

However the government insists the appointment is totally legitimate - saying his name was put forward by an independnet expert panel chaired by retired High Court justice John Cooke.