Court airing for the latest episode in O'Donnell saga

THIS WEEK: BLAISE, BLAKE, Bruce and Alexandra may sound like the cast of Gossip Girl, but in fact they’re the glamorous brood…

THIS WEEK:BLAISE, BLAKE, Bruce and Alexandra may sound like the cast of Gossip Girl, but in fact they're the glamorous brood of solicitor-cum-property mogul Brian O'Donnell.

However, the family’s sorry saga has indeed been playing out like a soap opera lately – with disputes arising over the ownership of art, antiques and furniture in luxury homes in Dublin and London – and this week’s instalment in the Commercial Courts will no doubt make for equally riveting viewing.

For those who’ve missed the early episodes, Bank of Ireland has been trying to enforce a €75 million judgment against Mr O’Donnell and his wife relating to unpaid loans given mainly for property investments.

Last month, the High Court granted an interim order allowing solicitors for the bank to enter the O’Donnell’s former family home in Killiney to take an inventory of its contents. In an unexpected twist, the O’Donnell children disputed the High Court’s entitlement to do so and have appealed to the Supreme Court.

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In any event, Mr Justice Peter Kelly has fixed this Thursday for the hearing of Bank of Ireland’s application to continue orders restraining dissipation of the contents of the Killiney house, which include a mahogany bookcase, Georgian chairs and a bronze statue of a soldier.