In 2009, esteemed property mogul Paddy Kelly was compelled to vacate his plush residence on Shrewsbury Road, owing to enormous debts totalling €350 million. Following his exit, Kelly confessed to Fintan O’Toole, he found reasonable accommodation on Morehampton Road – an arrangement that brought satisfaction to many, including those who seemed delighted by his predicament. However, due to a recent Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) decision, Paddy and his spouse, Maureen, are faced with the requirement to depart their current abode in Dublin 4.
Miracove Holdings Ltd, their current landlord, in 2021, issued a termination notice to Maureen, assigning a debt of €105,000 in unpaid rents to her family. At the RTB hearing, the couple’s son, Simon Kelly, pointed out an irregular contract with their previous landlord, entrepreneur John Morrissey, who agreed they could acquire the residence after covering a yearly rent of €70,000 for an agreed duration. Nonetheless, the RTB sided with Miracove, the property’s new landlord, and validated its termination notice from 2021. Consequently, the Kellys were directed to exit the property and settle overdue rents up to €60,000 – the maximum the RTB is permitted to award.
Roman Shortall, a partial owner of The Ditch news website, also encountered an unpleasant RTB judgement in a related matter two years ago. He had ceased paying the rent from March 2020 for a house in Saggart, west Dublin, accumulating nearly €50,000 in arrears. Ravensburg Unlimited, his landlord, procured a court order in January 2023, instructing Shortall to depart the house and settle rent arrears amounting to €49,663, in addition to the case’s legal expenses. The company logged a debt judgment against the journalist on May 22nd, endeavouring to reclaim €55,609 from rent arrears and legal charges. Shortall had earlier offered to remit €10,000 as a conclusive settlement, threatening to seek a debt reduction if his proposal was declined.
The aftermath of the judgement resulted in the reporter depositing €55,608 into the solicitor’s account of the property owner, thereby ending the disagreement.
The Pembroke Park Residents’ Association’s enigma
Earlier this year’s decision to provide accommodation for nearly 220 asylum seekers in a previously known nursing home, St Mary’s, located at Pembroke Park in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, was highly appreciated as a wealthy district accepting its proportion of new residents. Although, no marches took place as families began to move in during the early months of the year, not all residents of this rich neighbourhood were of supportive disposition. In the earlier parts of May, the Pembroke Park Residents’ Association reached out to the Dublin City Council seeking information as to whether the new purpose of the building complied with its planning status. A week ago, the council confirmed it did.
However, it raises the question about the actual identity of the Pembroke Park Residents’ Association? They clearly don’t correspond to the historical yet strong Pembroke Road Residents’ Association, which was established in the 1970s by art historian Seán Ó Críodáin with an intention to protect the region’s essence.
In a proposal to the council, the new owner of St Mary’s, an investment firm known as Goldstein Property ICAV, indicates that the address provided by the association is the residence of car hire industry tycoon Colm Menton, the ex CEO of Europcar Ireland and the originator of GoCar business. The property’s owner signalled that the council referral does not specify if it represents Menton alone, or a bigger community.
The firm states, “The identity supposed to be represented by this organisation remains unclear since we perceive that a significant portion of the local residents have publicly voiced robust support and given a hearty welcome to St Mary’s new inhabitants verbally and practically,”.
The lawyer who presented the referral last week refused to disclose his client’s names but mentioned that the association represented several local homeowners. Menton, however, chose not to answer any queries.
Siún Ní Raghallaigh adds excitement to MacGill Summer School.”
The MacGill Summer School, located in Glenties, Co Donegal, historically has a tradition of discussing the status and future of media and public service broadcasting. In this year’s edition, a presentation concerning the future of this sector holds particular significance, as it will be delivered by Siún Ní Raghallaigh, the previous chairwoman of RTÉ. She has been noticeably intense in her criticism of the Media Minister Catherine Martin’s part in what she labels her “forced exit” from the RTÉ board.
Ní Raghallaigh, who berated Martin for her alleged laid-back stance to the increasing RTÉ debacle last year following the emerging Ryan Tubridy payments issue, will be addressing the gathering on its inauguration day. She will be sharing the stage with Brian MacCraith, the head of the Future of Media Commission. Eamon Ryan is also scheduled to deliver a speech during the weekend, but there’s a good chance his party associate, Ms Martin, might have other obligations.
In a separate issue, U2’s plans for a visitor centre in Dublin’s docklands has hit a roadblock. Their five-year planning permission has lapsed, which essentially means the group has to go back to the drawing board. This isn’t the band’s first foray into real estate that seems to have faltered. Their previous ambitious projects such as the U2 Tower at the junction of Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Britain Quay, and the expansion of the Clarence Hotel, which at the time was co-owned by Bono and The Edge, have also either failed to materialise or faced extensive delays. Despite more than two decades since their original plans for a docklands tower, there is still no marking of a U2-associated architectural feat in sight.