Sale agreed: See inside stunning mansion at centre of armed stand-off
Elegant property was listed at half the €5.5m sale price reported in 2005
Dromin House, which is set on 10.9 acres of land in Delgany, Co Wicklow, was advertised with a guide price of €2.45m – less than half the reported €5.5m it was sold to businessman Brian McDonagh for in 2005.
Lisney Sotheby's International Realty, the estate agent handling the sale of the property, had opened an online bidding platform for interested buyers.
Last week, Lisney posted an advert for the house on Instagram, describing Dromin House as 'an elegant country residence set on over 10 acres of secluded, landscaped grounds with panoramic views of the Wicklow Mountains'.
However, all online listings for the property have now been removed.
Sitting room in the luxurious Dromin house
A source with knowledge of the deal said a sale is due to close within the next couple of weeks.
Last February 24, Mr McDonagh was involved in a stand-off with a sheriff and armed gardaí during the repossession of the property by Blackwater Asset Management.
He was subsequently charged with producing a shotgun likely to unlawfully intimidate another person during a dispute at Dromin House.
He was further charged with wilfully obstructing or interfering with an officer of the court on the same date.
Following the incident, Mr McDonagh's long-time partner, Yeoksee Ooi, issued High Court proceedings against the Attorney General, the court services of county Wicklow, Promontoria Scariff Designated Activity Company, Blackwater Asset Management and the county registrar of Wicklow.
In her statement of claim, Ms Ooi sought an order permitting the re-entry of her and her family into Dromin House and damages for 'unlawful entry, acts of trespass, misrepresentation and violation' of her constitutional rights.
Dromin House in Co Wicklow. The property boasts more than 10 acres of land
News in 90 Seconds - June 26th
She is arguing that the warrant issued for the repossession was in breach of article 40.5 of the Constitution, which relates to the inviolability of the home.
It is understood the claims are denied.
The matter is listed for hearing tomorrow.
Mr McDonagh had been given 18 months to find alternative accommodation
A possession order for Dromin House was granted at Bray Circuit Court on January 18, 2023. Mr McDonagh had been given 18 months to find alternative accommodation. Instead, he chose to fight the civil possession bill and appealed the decision.
Ms Ooi brought a separate case challenging the constitutionality of the possession order.
The High Court previously heard how Ms Ooi, who has three children with Mr McDonagh, was not a named party on the 2005 mortgage or 2007 remortgage and had no legal interest in the property.
After their efforts were unsuccessful and the appeal was dismissed, the go-ahead was granted to enforce the order.
Mr McDonagh fell into significant debt after borrowing money to build a data centre on an 82-acre site in Kilpedder.
The data centre never materialised and this led to decade-long litigation battles over the failure of he and his two brothers, Kenneth McDonagh and Maurice McDonagh, to repay millions of euro to Ulster Bank.
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