Ms Eileen Blackall (90), the sole survivor of an unsuccessful 10year legal battle to save the £3 million Georgian family mansion at Marino Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin, is to get only £23,000 as her share of a legal settlement.
She will get another estimated £20,000 from the will of her sister, Rose, who fought the sale of the property to a developer. She died last year only days after Marino Park was conveyed by court order to Chessington Ltd for £400,000.
The £400,000 had been paid into court years previously by Chessington, the development company owned by Mr John McDonald, of Waltham Terrace, Blackrock.
When Judge John Buckley approved the settlement in Dublin Circuit Civil Court yesterday, he was told that, with interest, funds for disbursement to Eileen and Rose and creditors had reached £475,000.
Mr Tim Sheehan, counsel for Ms Eileen Blackall, told the court that her sister, Rose, had left all her possessions to Eileen and she was granted an order making her administrator of Rose's estate.
Mr Brian Leonard SC, counsel for Brendan Maloney & Co, solicitors with carriage of sale, said the County Registrar, Ms Susan Ryan, had held an inquiry into encumbrances attaching to the Blackall estate and a settlement between all parties had been reached. The Blackalls' legal battle went back and forth between the Circuit, High and Supreme courts since Judge James Carroll ordered the sale of Marino Park to Chessington in 1991 for £400,000.
Rose and Eileen's father, Thomas Henry, was one of the last Nationalist MPs for Co Clare, losing his seat in the 1917 election. He bought Marino Park in 1920.
The property was left to his daughters, Rose, Eileen and Irene and their brother, Gerard. The litigation started when Gerard asked to be paid his quarter-share of the property, which ultimately led to Judge Carroll's 1991 order for sale. Irene has been deceased for many years and the interest of Gerard, who died during the litigation, was transferred to his widow, Mrs Iris Blackall.