TWO MEMBERS of pop band Simply Red and their neighbour were told by a judge yesterday to “keep out of each other’s hair” until they legally sorted out their differences over disputed hunting rights in Co Donegal.
Pop stars Mick Hucknall and Chris de Margary again sought an interim injunction at Letterkenny Circuit Court against their neighbour, John Wilde. The pair sought to stop Mr Wilde from “interfering” with their rights to use their estate at Welchtown, Ballybofey, for hunting and shooting.
Only De Margary and Mr Wilde were present in court.
Hucknall (49), and Simply Red saxophonist de Margary (41) say they bought the exclusive fishing and hunting rights to 33,000 acres of land on the former Glenmore Estate in 2005.
They set up a business, the Glenmore Rivers Estate, which caters to well-heeled hunters and fishermen. However, Mr Wilde, the manager of the Cloghan game lodge across the river Finn, insists he already owns those rights.
The case was adjourned from last week to allow Mr Wilde time to reply to the plaintiffs’ claims.
Following legal argument from both sides, Judge John O’Hagan made an order directing both sides not to “dissuade or discourage” shooting parties in each other’s estates. Mr Wilde gave an undertaking he would not approach or interfere with shooting parties in the Glenmore Estate.
Last year, Mr Wilde sold the neighbouring world famous Cloghan Lodge Fishery to a consortium of businessmen for a sum in the region of €8.75 million. He now lives on and is manager of the Cloghan estate.
Peter Nolan, for Hucknall and de Margary, told the court his clients have produced evidence showing they were legal owners of the hunting rights on the Glenmore Estate. Mr Nolan claimed Mr Wilde’s affidavit contained nothing other than “a calendar and photographs”, and he had produced no documentation to back up his claim.
He said John Mackie, who sold the Glenmore rights to the pair, would swear in court that he never gave any rights to Mr Wilde’s late father David.
Damien Crawford, for Mr Wilde, told the court his client was the only person to have shooting rights for both estates for the past 25 years.
“The plaintiffs are pretending they only found out about this in 2005 but they knew this all along,” Mr Crawford said.
Judge O’Hagan said the problems had arisen in 2005 and both sides had done “absolutely nothing” to address the issues. He said he wanted both parties to maintain a status quo.
“On paper, Mr Hucknall and Mr De Margary are clearly owners to the rights to the Glenmore Estate,” Judge O’Hagan said.
He said it could be up to 12 months until the matter came before the courts in full and the only injunction he was prepared to give would be in favour of Hucknall and de Margary.
He said Mr Wilde or his agents should not interfere with shooting parties on the Glenmore Estate and that Hucknall and de Margary should do likewise and stay away from parties on the Cloghan Estate.
“I am making an order against both parties and basically want both of you to keep out of each other’s hair until the action is heard in full,” concluded Judge O’Hagan.