The Books at One initiative, financed by Declan Ryan’s One Foundation, is going through a tricky chapter. Declan, a son of Ryanair founder Tony Ryan, came up with an idea to establish a collective of locally managed community bookshops that would serve as social hubs for local artists, writers, craftspeople and, of course, readers. The first was set up in 2016 in Louisburgh, Co Mayo, where Ryan had long holidayed, and three more followed: in Letterfrack, Connemara, another in the Liberties area of Dublin and the most recent in Kildorrery, Co Cork.
When Ryan Tubridy opened the Dublin shop two years ago, the foundation said it hoped to have one in each county, focusing on areas of social disadvantage or rural isolation. But the Dublin and Cork shops have both sadly closed recently.
Accounts for the One Foundation Book Company show the project has been an expensive enterprise for Ryan’s charitable wing. Although the goal is for each shop to break even eventually, the foundation put more than €750,000 into the shops between 2019 and 2022. Accounts for 2023 are due soon.
Let’s hope Ryan’s novel idea has the happy ending it deserves.
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Court-bound Irish AI guru Allan Beechinor no longer on State forum
Allan Beechinor, the founder of failed tech company Altada, had a tumultuous week. Two High Court actions were filed against him in the space of a few days. The first was by Jeffrey Leo, an American businessman who helped finance Altada, while the second came from US company Rocktop Arlington, which also helped finance Beechinor’s Cork-based AI company.
Rocktop is alleging “breach of contract” against Beechinor and Oysterhaven Ventures, jointly owned by Beechinor, his wife Niamh Parker and Martin O’Brien, the tech company’s former chief financial officer.
At least the artificial intelligence (AI) guru doesn’t have to worry about attending meetings of the Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum, which was established in 2022 to advise the State on the rapid developments in the sector. While Beechinor was appointed to the forum when it was established, he is no longer a member, the Department of Enterprise confirmed last week.
How The Monk was born
Gerard Hutch, speaking on the Crime World Podcast, recounted last week how he got his famous nickname. It turns out that The Irish Times’s own Harry McGee, now a political journalist, coined the moniker in the 1990s. McGee wrote a long profile in the Irish Press of the gang behind the Brinks Allied robbery in Clonshaugh, north Dublin, in January 1995, the then largest cash robbery in the history of the State.
Election Daily: How Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch got his nickname
Harry McGee and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to talk about all today’s news on the election campaign trail:Standing side by side during last night’s leaders debate on RTÉ, Micheal Martin and Simon Harris countered Mary Lou McDonald’s criticisms, sometimes aggressively. The optics favoured the Sinn Féin leader.On the subject of government formation, Labour leader Ivana Bacik spoke of her intention to only negotiate with the big parties in conjunction with other parties on the left, including the Greens and Social Democrats. But will the other parties play ball?Sinn Féin has released its manifesto and, while most of the content had been trailed, there were some surprises.And Harry McGee reveals his major role in the history of this election’s most notorious candidate.
Gerard Hutch, who was linked to the IR£3 million (€3.8 million) heist but still denies any involvement, couldn’t be named at the time due to strict libel laws. Trying to avoid repeating “gang leader” throughout the article, McGee thought about the character he was writing about. Unlike most Dublin criminals, he didn’t take drugs or socialise excessively. Pondering this cloistered, ascetic existence in Clontarf, McGee came up with the image of a monk.
The following week Paddy Clancy, the then chief of The Sun’s Irish office, splashed the nickname across the front page of the tabloid and it stuck. It was probably a fortuitous turn of events for Hutch, who described McGee as “a good lad” last week on the podcast. One of his other nicknames from the time, although maybe not said too often to his face, was Mr Bean.
Institute of Education in expansion mode
The new owner of the Institute of Education on Leeson Street in Dublin wants to squeeze more out of its investment in the crammer school. Last year the UK-based Dukes Education, one of the biggest providers of private education in the world, paid a whopping €135 million for 93.3 per cent of the college. This year it enrolled a record 1,650 students, while fees are also being hiked, rising from €10,990 to €11,850.
It’s also looking to expand its footprint in the south city centre. Tottoria Ltd, the company that controls the school, has applied for planning permission to build a four-storey extension housing additional classrooms, offices, bathrooms and “breakout rooms” at 19-20 Leeson Street Lower and to the rear of 82-85 Leeson Street Lower. Aviva Ireland, which owns number 18, has appealed the plans, saying they will overlook and overshadow the neighbouring office building.
The Institute has also applied for planning permission to reconfigure number 78 Leeson Street to fit in more classrooms as well as an enrolment/reception office, tutorial/conference rooms and a kitchen.
The Kearns family, which founded the college, still owns 6.7 per cent. Peter Kearns, the former managing director of the school, hasn’t been slow in spending some of his windfall from the sale. He recently bought a house on Cowper Road in Rathmines, Dublin 6, for €5.8 million, one of the highest prices paid in Dublin this year.
Abbey Theatre offers perks to its patrons
In advance of its redevelopment, the Abbey Theatre in Dublin has revamped its patron programme, introducing cheaper options for those who wish to contribute but whose pockets aren’t deep enough to become fully fledged philanthropists. For €480 annually, you can become an Abbey explorer, which provides priority booking and a VIP ticketing service; acknowledgment on the wall of the theatre and in programmes; a backstage tour of the Abbey; and access to post-show discussions and theatre mixers.
One of the new initiatives is inviting patrons paying €2,500 and more annually to peek behind the curtain. They can visit backstage after shows to meet cast and company. The Abbey’s co-directors, Caitríona McLaughlin and Mark O’Brien, will also be singing for their supper. Those paying €10,000 a year, known as Guardians of the Abbey, get to enjoy all the other perks and an evening dinner afterwards with the directors.
Fair price for a Fair City pad in Ballsbridge
Author and occasional Fair City actor Claudia Carroll has sold the family silver. The novelist, who left the soap in 2007 after an 11-year stint to focus on her writing, grew up on Merrion Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, where she has been living with her mother in recent years.
The actor, who still makes the odd cameo on Fair City, and her mother put their handsome redbrick home on the market earlier this year seeking €2.25 million. Last week the Property Price Register recorded a sale price of €2.235 million for the four-bed pile, just €15,000 under the asking price – close enough.
Dragons’ Den businessman crops up in Stubbs Gazette
The original Dragons’ Den judges on RTÉ have had mixed fortunes since they stepped down from the reality TV show. Sarah Newman went bankrupt, while Sean Gallagher was almost president. Bobby Kerr sold his stake in the Insomnia coffee chain, transitioning into investing and broadcasting, while Niall O’Farrell closed his Blacktie and Henry Jermyn shirt chains after tough trading conditions.
O’Farrell, now a property investor, was once a regular in newspaper business sections. Last week he popped up in a publication most business people seek to avoid – Stubbs Gazette. The former Shrewsbury Road resident was hit with a judgment for €64,621 from Credebt Exchange, a short-term commercial finance company.
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