ATHLONE PROJECT:LOBBYIST FRANK Dunlop was too fearful of Fianna Fáil TD Mary O'Rourke to ask her about tax designation for a shopping centre in Athlone, the Mahon tribunal heard yesterday.
Property developer Owen O'Callaghan said it was a standing joke that Mr Dunlop was afraid of the Athlone deputy.
Luton-based developer Tom Gilmartin had said that Mr O'Callaghan told him he discussed approaching Ms O'Rourke about tax designation for the Golden Island shopping centre, in which he was a partner, in 1994.
Ambrose Kelly, Mr Dunlop and his partner in the project, the late Tom Diskin, had been party to the discussion. But Mr Dunlop had refused to visit Ms O'Rourke because he was afraid of her, Mr Gilmartin had said.
Mr O'Callaghan said yesterday Mr Dunlop had said he was afraid of Ms O'Rourke. "Mary O'Rourke was actually against the Athlone development itself, in particular because it's in the wrong side of Athlone; it's not in her section," Mr O'Callaghan said.
He told the tribunal that he was aware of a story going around about Mr Diskin and Ms O'Rourke. But, he said, he did not hear it from Mr Diskin himself.
The story went that Mr Diskin went to Ms O'Rourke's home to request that she support the Golden Island campaign for tax designation, which would give tax breaks to investors in the project, he said. "When he [Mr Diskin] went to her house he put his hand on her shoulder or something like that and she called the gardaí," Mr O'Callaghan said.
"There was some sort of hassle; that's as much as I know about it."
