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Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Michael Flatley 'intends to seek nominations to run for President', court told
Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is moving back to Ireland in the next two weeks as he 'intends to seek nominations to run for President,' a court has been told. An affidavit opened before Ms Justice Eileen Roberts in the Commercial Court on Friday made the assertion, following on from speculation that the Irish-American would contest the upcoming presidential election. Mr Flatley's counsel Ronnie Hudson BL instructed by Maxwell Mooney solicitor introduced the document to court as part of a case where a building contractor and insurance companies involved in carrying out works at the Flatley Castlehyde mansion in Cork are seeking to have the star put up €2.8m security for costs before his action against them begins. A security for costs application is usually made when the defendants in the case apply to the court seeking to have their costs covered if they end up successfully defending the main proceedings. It is often sought when litigants are not resident in the EU. Mr Hudson told the court that Mr Flatley's intention to return to live in Ireland in the coming days represented a 'material change of circumstances' which must be considered by Ms Justice Roberts in her ruling on the security for costs application. Andrew Fitzpatrick SC, representing the underwriting and insurance defendants in the case, objected to the affidavit being admitted to court as the judge had already reserved judgement on the application. He also said it was 'hearsay', given that the affidavit was signed by Mr Flatley's solicitor Mr Mooney rather than the man himself. Counsel for building contractor Austin Newport, Stephen Dowling SC, meanwhile said that there were no details of where he would be living in Ireland and did not meet the threshold to be admitted. Ms Justice Roberts determined that the affidavit would be taken into account. 'In fairness to Mr Flatley, I will allow the affidavit to be admitted,' she said. 'I will treat it then with the weight, if any, I give to it.' The judge also indicated that she had already begun work on the judgement and it would be delivered in a 'reasonably short period'. Mr Flatley's side has previously described the security of costs application as 'a final effort to derail my claim'. Mr Hudson said Mr Flatley is an Irish citizen and has assets in this jurisdiction and he contended it could be 'a form of discrimination' if the court were to make an order for security of costs against him. In the main proceedings, the Riverdance performer claims he and his family had to vacate the Castlehyde period property in October 2023 after alleged toxic chemical residue was detected during routine maintenance. Mr Flatley is suing Austin Newport Group Ltd, the main contractor and insurance underwriters — MS Amlin Underwriting Ltd, AXA XL Underwriting Agencies LTD and Hamilton Managing Agency Limited along with Lloyds Insurance Company. All of the allegations are denied. The court has previously heard the dancing star, who recently directed and starred in his own self-financed action film Blackbird, had been intending to move back to Ireland. Last weekend, he told Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio One that he was not ruling out a bid for presidency to succeed Michael D Higgins in this autumn's election. For Mr Flatley to get onto the ballot, he would need the backing of either 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities. So far, the only candidates to put themselves in the race are independent TD Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness. Conor McGregor has also repeatedly posted on social media that he too wants to be the next president of Ireland. The election must take place before 11 November, when President Higgins' term ends.
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Michael Flatley being portrayed as 'a villain' rather than 'a victim', court told
Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is being portrayed in proceedings before the Commercial Court as 'a villain' rather than 'a victim of circumstances', his counsel told a judge on Wednesday. It is the second day of two applications before the court where a building contractor and insurance companies involved in carrying out works at Mr Flatley's Castlehyde mansion are seeking to have the star put up €2.8m security for costs before his action against them begins. Mr Flatley's counsel, Ronnie Hudson SC instructed by Maxwell Mooney solicitor, referred to what he called the characterisation of the entertainer by the other side in court. 'He is being portrayed as a villain rather than a victim, a victim of circumstances,' Mr Hudson said. The statement was made as the Flatley side sought to introduce a chartered accountant's valuation of the Flatley whiskey business which the court had previously heard was worth in the region of €10m. Andrew Fitzpatrick SC for the underwriting and insurance defendants objected to the new information being put before the court and he said it was 'a naked attempt to upend this application'. He also said there was no evidence why the valuation was not available when documents were being exchanged in advance of the security for costs hearing. Counsel for building contractor Austin Newport Group Ltd, Stephen Dowling SC, said allowing the new document in at this stage could open up a collateral hearing on the basis of the €10m valuation. Ms Justice Eileen Roberts said it was not obvious to her why the information was not put before the court when there were ongoing directions in place in relation to the exchange of documents .The judge said she did not want to completely derail the security for costs hearing and she refused to admit the document. Mr Hudson told the court that in the security for costs application, Michael Flatley was being faced with a bill for almost €3m 'for defending himself'. Statement of Affairs In an affidavit opened to the court at the start of the hearing on Tuesday, Mr Flatley said the Lord of the Dance show is continuing to sell out venues worldwide and he had spent the last 30 years of his life travelling the world promoting Ireland and Irish culture globally. He said Lord of the Dance has sold over €1bn worth of tickets. Lord of the Dance, which he said had received ' a lifetime of standing ovations', has been valued 'at a conservative minimum of €200m". Mr Flatley said his Statement of Affairs which valued Lord of the Dance at €200m, his whiskey business at €10m and his Castlehyde mansion at €20m is accurate. He said he owns all of the rights and intellectual property for Lord of the Dance and the valuation could be double the €200m figure. He said his liability is a €7.9m mortgage on Castlehyde which will be repaid from his business activities over the next two years. He said he agreed with the €20m valuation on Castlehyde and he regarded the suggestion that a €10.5m valuation by the defendants for the mansion is in any way credible as 'complete nonsense'. Mr Flatley, in the affidavit which was sworn last month, also said he 'intends to return to live in Ireland permanently as soon as possible'. Main case In the main proceedings, the Riverdance performer claims he and his family had to vacate the Castlehyde period property in October 2023 after alleged toxic chemical residue was detected during routine maintenance. Mr Flatley is suing Austin Newport Group Ltd, the main contractor and insurance underwriters — MS Amlin Underwriting Ltd, AXA XL Underwriting Agencies LTD and Hamilton Managing Agency Limited along with Lloyds Insurance Company. All of the allegations are denied. The application for security for costs continues. Read More Michael Flatley tells court security for costs application is an attempt to embarrass him
