Gorse Hill: Efforts to remove O’Donnells from house to continue in court

Moves by Bank of Ireland to remove Brian and Mary Patricia O’Donnell from the family’s house, Gorse Hill on Vico Road, Killiney are expected to continue in court on Thursday.

The couple have been barricaded inside it since Monday and remained there after the expiry of Wednesday’s 4pm court deadline for them to leave the large house overlooking the sea on one of Dublin’s most expensive roads. A blockade of the house has been mounted by members of the New Land League who say they are acting on the invitation of the O’Donnells.

Bank of Ireland has appointed a receiver to take possession of the house which has been the subject of lengthy court proceedings. A bid by the O’Donnells’ children to prevent the receiver taking over the house was rejected by the High Court on Tuesday.

While the 4pm deadline passed quietly, Wednesday was not without its moments of drama as journalists, television crews and members of the public all seized opportunities to pass members of the New Land League and enter the grounds.

Shortly after noon as New Land League spokesman Jerry Beades arrived to consult with the O’Donnells, journalist and broadcaster Vincent Browne stepped across the open gate and expressed the intention of going up to the house to interview Mr O’Donnell.

Despite entreaties from the New Land League, Mr Browne led a group of journalists down the driveway and around to the front door.

When no one answered the door, the media personnel wandered about the extensive grounds, passing the stone lions guarding French windows to a terrace overlooking Killiney Bay.

As journalists photographed the swimming pool and tennis court, a shutter on a downstairs window was opened and closed, and a dog could be heard barking inside. But despite repeated knocks on the hall door there was no answer and the media returned to the main road.

As the 4pm deadline arrived and passed a large number of onlookers, including neighbours and people out for walks had arrived at the gates.

At about 4.20pm the gates again opened, and the crowd surged forward with a number of onlookers moving into the grounds and taking pictures on mobile phones and tablets. One man, not a member of the Press, went down down the drive and appeared to be intent on gaining access to the house.

At this stage a British-registered grey Jaguar car which had earlier brought Mr Beades to the house returned and blocked the gates from the inside.

A spokesman for the New Land League said the O’Donnells had felt “hemmed in” by the blockade of the house which the league had mounted at their invitation and they had asked for it to be lifted. But he said the O’Donnells had subsequently been concerned about the individual who appeared to be trying to gain access to the house and it was decided to reinstate the blockade.

In a short question and answer session with the media, Mr Beades said the O’Donnells had not been given any deadline to vacate the property and he did not think a scheduled court hearing for Thursday was a certainty.

Mr Beades said documentation nailed to the gates of the property by agents acting for the receiver on Tuesday night had been notices from the court warning of potential action, but he said there was no deadline attached.