Drumaville paid £20m to bag Cats, says report

THE Irish-based Drumaville Consortium behind Sunderland has paid just over £20m (€21.5m) for its investment in the Premier League club, according to 2007 figures available from Jersey’s Financial Services Commission (FSC).

The Dublin-based Patrick Kelly, of property developers Kelland Homes, was the largest investor at the beginning of this year, with 2,271 shares bought for £2,058.53 (€2,220.05) each — a total of £4.6m (€4.3m). The pub group owners Louis Fitzgerald and Charlie Chawke were the next largest, each having paid £3m (€3.23m).

John Hays, a travel company owner based in Sunderland, and his wife Irene (the chief executive of South Tyneside Council) invested £1.6m (€1.7m) combined, as did the builders Jack Tierney and Patsy Byrne.