This article is from page 22 of the 2008-03-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
TWO women who invested in a Kil- laloe bed and breakfast business to- gether appeared before the Circuit Court last week to settle a row about entitlements to the house they had shared.
The Ennis Circuit Court heard that plaintiff, Margaret Barnett and respondent, Maureen Ryan began a relationship when they met while working in a Limerick hotel and lat- er, moved in together.
Ms Barnett told the court that she raised a number of mortgages on her home at The Green in Killaloe to help refurbish Ballyheefy House in Killaloe and to pay debts which
arose out of their business there.
Ms Barnett told her legal counsel, Philip Moloney BL, that she had con- tinued to work outside of the bed and breakfast business and had let her house at The Green so that the couple would have an income.
Judge Rory MacCabe heard that Ballyheefy House had been pur- chased by Ms Ryan out of the pro- ceeds of the sale of another house.
Ms Barnett applied to the court for relief because, she said, she had raised money through mortgaging her own home to finance Ballyheefy and she wanted this money back now that the relationship had ended.
Ms Ryan counter sued, alleging damage and tresspass against Ms
Jeybwsteam
Judge MacCabe said that Ms Bar- nett could not succeed in her claim, as even allowing for all her evidence of the money she had spent “this was money which had been spent on the LURID AL ehiSiae
Peter Clein BL for Ms Ryan said the counter-claim was withdrawn. The judge said that he would make no order as to costs.
“In a different situation, if people had a personal relationship which broke down, the case would be heard in camera. Matters which would normally have been heard in pri- vate have been vented in public and both parties have suffered because of this,” he said.