Tuam’s Sean Canney, the Minister of State for the OPW and Flood Relief, has a portfolio of houses, apartments and a retail property, according to the newly-published Dáil Register of Interests for 2016.
The Galway East TD – who is a quantity surveyor by profession – owns his family home in Claretuam, and has also declared several other property interests.
He owns a rental house in The Village, Wellpark in Galway, as well as two houses at The Mall in Tuam and three apartments at St Jarlath’s Place, Bishop Street in Tuam.
He is also a partner in The Galway Partnership, along with Sean Rhatigan and Gerry Kelly of JJ Rhatigan & Co, which owns a retail property for the purposes of renting.
Fine Gael’s Ciarán Cannon is the only TD in Galway who owns a holiday home – the property is in the small village of Banyuls-dels-Aspres in the Languedoc-Rousillon region in the south of France, which is close to the border with Spain.
He is an executive director of Gate Lodge Properties Ltd in Carrabane, Athenry (which operates the Gate Lodge pub) and is listed as an executive director of the Carrabane Community Development Company Ltd.
In Galway West, Fianna Fáil’s Éamon Ó Cuív listed his only interests for 2016 as ‘travel facilities’ – he enjoyed trips to New York, Washington, Milwaukee and Budapest.
Deputy Ó Cuív and his wife Áine Ní Choincheannain had four nights’ accommodation paid for in Rochester, New York in April – they were invited as special guests celebrating the 1916 centenary. He gave a speech at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, where his great-grandmother Catherine de Valera Wheelwright is buried.
The following month, Fianna Fáil paid for return flights to Washington and an overnight hotel stay in order to plant a 1916 memorial tree on Capitol Hill with the Taoiseach.
In August, the cost of flights, hotel and transport to and from the airport in Chicago to Milwaukee (five-night stay) were covered by the Milwaukee Irish Fest summer school, which he attended. At the festival, he gave a lecture about 1916 and Éamon de Valera, and the establishment of the first Dáil (one lecture each day from Tuesday to Saturday).
In October, the cost of return travel to Budapest and meals were covered for a ceremony to commemorate the revolution there in 1956.
“I attended commemoration ceremonies on the invitation of the Hungarian government, along with five others whose ancestors were involved in making arrangements for the refugees who came to Ireland after the uprising in Hungary in 1956,” Deputy Ó Cuív declared.
Also in Galway West, Independent Deputy Noel Grealish declared a house in Cregmore, Claregalway and an apartment in Dublin (which are rented) as well as 15 acres of farmland in Carnmore. He also owns 100% of GCC Galway Glass Centre Ltd, which has been in liquidation since 2012 and was struck off in July 2016.
Seán Kyne (FG) declared his wife’s home in Athlone which is currently rented out, while his father’s company in Moycullen has contracts to supply sand and gravel to the City and County Councils, Inland Fisheries Ireland, Údaras na Gaeltachta and NUI Galway.
Hildegarde Naughton (FG) declared her home in Castlelawn Heights on the Headford Road in Galway, and listed her occupation as a primary school teacher at St Pat’s in Galway (she is on leave of absence) and singing in a voluntary capacity with the Bel Canto group.
Independent Galway West Deputy Catherine Connolly listed her occupations as a Galway city councillor (where she served until her election to the Dáil in February 2016) and barrister.
Deputy Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fáil) in Galway East lists farmland at Abbey Road in Abbeyknockmoy as her only interest.
Michael Fitzmaurice from Williamstown, the Independent TD for in the Roscommon-Galway constituency, has listed his occupation as agricultural contractor, plant hire, turf contracting and farming.
He has one share worth one euro in the Kilcolm Co-op Water Scheme (a voluntary group water scheme where he also serves as chairman) and is Chair of the Turf Cutters and Contractors’ Association representative group.
He notes on his declaration that he received no payment for the chairmanships and he holds no directorships, only voluntary committee positions.
He owns farm land at Strangeforth, Keelogues and Curragh in Williamstown, which he notes are rural farmland and not used for development.
Deputy Fitzmaurice also noted that he borrowed water pumps, a dumper and a JCB digger from Ward and Burke in Kilcolgan, to help save houses from flooding in his constituency between December 2015 and February 2016.
“The company are farmer employers who obliged me in helping these people by lending me machinery,” he said.
Roscommon-Galway Independent TD Denis Naughten, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, has declared his constituency office on Abbey Street as well as a one-acre site at Drum, both in Roscommon.
His constituency colleague Eugene Murphy (FF) is a director of Féile Tradisiúnta Strokestown Ltd in Longford, a community dance festival, for which he received no remuneration or expenses.
Meanwhile, Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, FF) owns a rental property at Rosán Glas and a half-acre site on the Cappagh Road in Galway City.
The post Galway Minister’s property portfolio revealed in Register of Interests appeared first on Connacht Tribune.
