Davis Road ‘sale’ remains a bone of contention

The AGM of the Irish Coursing Club was held yesterday at the Hotel Minella, Clonmel, with representatives from the near 100 individual clubs in all four provinces among the huge attendance, “The biggest in all my years of coming to these AGM’s,” said outgoing president Tony McNamee in his opening address.

There was a reason for that exceptional turnout, however, and it wasn’t long before that reason became evident.

Barely had the minute’s silence for deceased former members passed when Michael Heeney (Dundalk & Dowdallshill) was on his feet. The agenda was the problem, a glaring omission, reckoned Michael – the sale of assets, as discussed at a recent EGM in Portlaoise.

This is the most contentious issue in the ICC currently, the disputed sale of a roadway on the ICC’s property at Davis Road in Clonmel to the developer of a nearby shopping centre, currently the subject of a High Court action by the developer.

“Why can't we at least be updated on what’s happening with that property,” Michael wondered, “While staying away from the controversy.” The problem, however, was that once that topic became part of the agenda – and it did, very quickly, despite several notes of caution sounded from the top table - there was no staying away from controversy.

Over the past several months, discontent has been simmering among a significant number of ordinary coursing club members. It began with the ‘sale’ of the access roadway to the developer, without which planning permission almost certainly would not have been granted for that development, flared up further when the possibility of selling out the whole Davis Road offices was raised.

The problem in the first instance was that an individual took it on himself, without consultation with the Executive, to ‘sell’ the disputed roadway, thus the current High Court action.

An EGM was called some months ago for Portlaoise to discuss what to do (it was decided to fight the action), but at that same meeting, two other individuals were appointed to look into the possible sale of the remainder of the Davis Road property. One was Brian Divilly (Galway & Oranmore), one of the best known names in coursing, the other was Phil Meany (Co. Carlow), two strong-minded, strong-willed, independent people. Too independent, as it turned out, as each now had a very different story to tell on what transpired thereafter.

First, Phil admitting meeting the developer on his own, a meeting much criticised by many delegates. “I decided off my own bat, I felt confident enough and capable enough, to go down and meet the man and see what he had to say. I’m of the belief that, when all this dust is settled, and as a businessman myself, I would like to see us move out of the dreary offices we’re in and move into something we could all be proud of.

“I went down, I met the man briefly, he showed me drawings, the same drawings Brian Divilly had shown me. I told him there was nothing I could say, nothing I could do. He seemed an ordinary enough chap to me. I went back home, around seven o’clock – and I want to be able to describe this because people have said to me, ‘You were found out.’ I wasn’t found out, I picked up the phone at seven the next morning and phoned Paddy Keane (club solicitor), told him exactly what had happened.”

He then went on to outline events subsequent to that meeting with the developer, where another meeting was held to discuss a sale price for the ICC offices, but said that Brian had said to him that he was capable of finalising the deal without him, but wanted him there purely as witness that he was doing was above board, something, he said, he would never have doubted anyway. “So help me God, he finished, “That’s what happened.”

When Phil had finished, it was Brian’s turn, and first he cleared with Mr. Keane that he was free to disclose the possible sale figures discussed.

After assurances from Mr. Keane that this was okay, he then outlined his side of the story. He began with the EGM in Portlaoise, where it was decided that the ICC weren't going ahead with the sale, and that because he was the one who had ‘copped’ that the roadway was sold, he should be the one appointed to negotiate a new deal with the developer.

Differences of opinion about who said what and when arose, but the crux was the final sale price, and this is where the major disagreement still stood, even as this meeting was going on.

A big difference in valuation between the two individuals charged with agreeing a sale price – not a good start. Eventually, with the inclusion of Paddy Keane in the discussions, they agreed to ask for a sum of €4.9 million. and there it stood, and there it stands.

“We met the developer,” said Brian, “Paddy told him, ‘You’re getting one price, no negotiations - €4.9 million.’ The developer looked surprised, I think because he expected ten, but after he left the room we all felt he looked happy. He asked us if we’d give him two days, we said we would, but about a week after that we were invited to the Four Courts to meet the barristers… the rumours went out then, ‘Brian Divilly had destroyed the developer, he had lost all faith in us because we asked ten million.’ The price we asked was €4.9 million, I couldn’t accept less, I couldn’t ask ye to accept less.”

And so it went on, back and forth, voices rising, tempers frayed, at one stage threatening to get very close to the bone, until eventually a voice of reason from the floor, Kevin Smith from Dublin, an honorary Executive member:

“My understanding of what happened at the EGM was that a decision was made to defend the court action, that was the major decision; the second decision was that two people would be appointed in case there were offers made for the property.

“There was never a decision made to sell, we never passed any resolution of that nature.

The two men were appointed to negotiate, if negotiations took place; now we’re here as if we want to sell our property, telling the world what we think it’s worth.”

A round of applause, and that was an end to that particular battle.

In the only uncontested election (treasurer Murt Ryan was returned unopposed, secretary DJ Histon has long been selected as successor to the retiring and long-serving Jerry Desmond).

In the big election of the day for presidency, Claregalway’s Brian Divilly defeated incumbent, Old Kilcullen’s Tony McNamee by 70 votes to 58.

On Tuesday, Corkman Noel Holland was re-elected chairman of the ICC executive committee, defeating Charleville’s Tom Mulcahy 13-6 with Mulcahy going on to be re-elected vice-chairman following a 10- 9 win in the battle with Templetuohy’s John Egan.