Latest news with #Treacy
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
How design duo behind Kylemore Abbey refit decorated their own home in Offaly
Asking price: €500,000 Agent: DNG Kelly Duncan (057) 9325050 Every creative dreams of the day the phone chirrups to the tune of a fantasy gig. Brendan Treacy and Joe Kirby, interior designers and co-proprietors of Dublin-based Silver River Interiors, can count themselves among that lucky cohort. They were contacted by the sisters in residence at Kylemore Abbey, the magnificent Benedictine monastery in Connemara; who hired them to do the fit-out for their new contemporary accommodation at the Abbey, during the recent redevelopment of the famous nunnery and national tourist attraction. 'So we did the full interior fit-out for the nuns down there,' Treacy says. 'It was amazing. That was huge because it's just the two of us, myself and Joe, involved. The project is still ongoing. "The nuns have been incredible to work with. There were a vast amount ducks to get in line and get past them, as the nuns needed to be in their new home at a certain time on a certain day. And, as is often the case, we didn't have as long as we thought we would need to do the job, but we got it done.' Kirby, for his part at least, had some very appropriate credentials on his resumé, having spent time as a member of the Christian Brothers. 'He was familiar with this type of community in terms of how they live day-to-day, how they have their meals and how they share their community spaces,' Treacy says. When the pair initially met with the nuns, they bonded really quickly because the two felt they understood what the sisters wanted. Treacy says: 'I suppose we weren't just shoving chairs and fabrics down their throats, but actually listening to how they live, which is what we do with all our clients. Except in this case, it was 16 different women.' ADVERTISEMENT Kirby adds: 'Sister Magdalena could run the country. They really knew what they wanted, and we are really proud of how it turned out in the end. They were so excited because quite a few of them had never seen the inside of the place until the day they moved in. Now it has a lovely calm feeling about it.' Treacy has a background in the hotel business where he developed his interest in interior design, completing a one-day per week two-year course at the Dublin Institute of Design on Suffolk Street. The two are mainly influenced by the work of William Morris and take inspiration from places they visit, preferring that to the more modern influences of social media. Treacy says: 'We visited Winston Churchill's home at Chartwell recently and were very impressed. We don't have a formula, as is the case with some interior designers. We prefer to see how the client lives.' He began working from home at first, before he and Kirby decided to open a showroom in Tullamore and then a second in Dublin in the early 2000s – until, as Treacy puts it, 'the world ended' after the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. Their business survived, however, and has gone from strength to strength. The pair mainly work with private clients, and tend to design in a classical style. Treacy and Kirby's own home in Tullamore could double as an additional showroom. From the outside, it is a relatively plain-looking detached house on 0.6 acres, located about 10 minutes from Tullamore town. The only sign from the outside that it may belong to someone with an eye for design is a wire sculpture of a pair of red-setters, Billy and Pauline, guarding the front door. It has a hallway behind the teak front door with glazed side panels, floored in polished marble tiles. There is decorative wall panelling and intricate ceiling coving. Off this is a sitting room with walnut timber flooring, and a polished marble fireplace with a cast iron insert and a black granite hearth. This room is decorated with dark brown wallpaper, offset with colourful velour sofas. Treacy says: 'This room is one of the darkest in our house. So we made it dark and moody by using the textured wallpaper, then following down with the deeper colour sofas.' Glass-panelled doors from the sitting room lead to the kitchen/dining area, which also has polished marble floors. The kitchen is bespoke and was designed by Dermot Bracken, with quartz countertops and a large centre island. There is a solid fuel stove on a marble plinth. Integrated appliances include a hob with feature extractor fan, double oven, dishwasher and a hidden pantry with additional worktop space and storage. There is also a utility with fitted storage, additional countertop space and a second dishwasher. One of the bedrooms is located on the ground floor, which was a boon for Kirby on account of his parents who visit. This has an en suite bathroom, and there is also a guest WC on the ground floor. Upstairs has an additional five bedrooms, including a master suite with a walk-in dressing room/wardrobe and en suite bathroom and a luxurious family bathroom. There is also a detached garage of approximately 270sq ft. Outside to the rear, is a recently completed patio area with raised flowerbeds and uplighters set into the ground for evening entertaining outside. The pair bought a home in Dublin 8 about 11 years ago, close to the city centre, and are now keen to relocate to the capital full-time. 'We have been here for 20 years,' says Kirby. 'It was a great party house and has a lovely atmosphere, and was really convenient when we had the business down there. But we just don't spend enough time there anymore.' DNG Kelly Duncan is seeking offers in the region of €500,000.
Sunday World
20-05-2025
- Sunday World
Infamous mob boss's nephew pleads guilty at Special Criminal Court
Christy Keane relative Richard Treacy admits using crime cash to pay for renovations to home The nephew of a Limerick gangland figure has pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to money laundering over renovation work carried out at his home. Richard Treacy (36) from Garryowen, Co. Limerick, this week admitted charges that he allowed the proceeds of crime to be used for work on his Downey Street home. His trial at the Special Criminal Court had been due to last for two weeks but he changed his plea to guilty. He is the latest person connected to mob boss Christy Keane to be convicted over money laundering, after a Garda operation targeted the gang's finances. Treacy is now due to re-appear at the non-jury court in July for sentencing. His first cousin Kieran Keane Jnr is being targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau who say three properties and €100,000 in a bank account are the proceeds of crime. Crime boss Christy Keane Keane Jnr was also mentioned during a criminal case against Dermot 'Plum' McManus, who got a three-year prison sentence for money laundering in January last year. McManus was described as 'close confidant' of crime boss Christy Keane, who is Keane Jnr's uncle. Keane Jnr was also cited as another alleged leading member of the gang. The Keane gang was described as one of the 'most ruthless crime groups in the State' at the Special Criminal Court. As well as 'Plum' McManus, Chirsty Keane's sister Sandra Hehir has also been convicted of money laundering. She got a two-and-a-half-year sentence over €124,000 found in her attic, which was found to be the proceeds of crime. Separately, her son Warren Hehir was convicted of money-laundering offences and sentenced to four years and three months. He admitted that €59,000 spent on renovating his home and a Rolex watch were the proceeds of crime. His wife Vicky Hehir also pleaded guilty to one charge of money laundering over the cash used for the renovations but avoided a prison sentence to allow her to look after their children. A convicted killer, Richard Treacy has been caught up in the violence of Limerick's infamous gangland feuding. He was jailed in 2007 for the manslaughter of Darren Coughlan, who was beaten to death in Limerick in 2005. Then aged 19, Treacy was sentenced to six years in prison along with his cousin Joseph Keane and Shane Kelly, who got seven years in prison. The three men notoriously smiled and winked at people in the public gallery as they were led away to begin serving their sentences. Three years later, Treacy's older brother Daniel was shot dead by John Coughlan, a brother of Darren's who is also believed to have tried to shoot Richard Treacy's uncle Pa Keane. Coughlan was jailed for life after a court heard how Treacy was shot three times in the head and once in the groin at a filling station. A video of the murder was recently played in court during a civil lawsuit brought by a former worker at the shop in which Coughlan took the gun from the shopping bag before opening fire.
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Kerry hotel to remain home to Ukrainians after department reverse its decision
The North Kerry venue is owned by the Treacy hotel group and has housed Ukrainians since August 2022. There had been fears in January that close to 60 Ukrainians were to be moved from the hotel to make way for the arrival of international protection applicants (IPAS). However, Junior Minister for Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae received confirmation from the Department of Justice that Ukrainians resident at the hotel are to remain there. Locals in Ballybunion have campaigned since January to keep their Ukrainian guests in the town as many of them are working locally and have children attending nearby schools. Minister Healy-Rae briefed the local community of the update on Monday. The news has been welcomed by many in Ballybunion. The Golf Hotel news comes a week after it was confirmed that two accommodation centres in Kerry, used for Ukrainians, will return to their original use from June. The King's Court Student Complex in Tralee, and Skellig Accommodation Centre in south Kerry house a combined 48 temporary protection applicants from Ukraine.
Sunday World
15-05-2025
- Sunday World
Limerick man pleads guilty to money laundering over home renovation work
Richard Treacy (36) Downey St, Garryowen, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced A Limerick man has pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to a money laundering offence relating to renovation work carried out at his home. The matter was originally listed for trial and expected to last two weeks, but at the Special Criminal Court this morning, Richard Treacy (36) entered a guilty plea to the charge. Treacy, of Downey St, Garryowen, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty that he, between January 1, 2014 and January 12, 2021, knowing or being reckless as to whether renovation work carried out at his home address was the proceeds of criminal conduct, did disguise the true source of the property. The offence is contrary to section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding over the three-judge, non-jury court, put the matter back to July 21 next for sentencing.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Poll: Amid rising costs, Republican and Democratic voters value Va.'s colleges and universities
J. Sargent Reynolds Community College in Henrico. (Photo courtesy WWBT) An overwhelming majority of voters are proud of Virginia's colleges and universities and feel they are equipping young people to succeed, even as, across the country, frustrations mount due to rapidly shifting federal education systems and rising tuition costs. According to poll results released by Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC), 90% of respondents both Democrats and Republicans in Virginia are proud of the colleges and universities in the commonwealth because they see a 'strong connection' between the work on Virginia's campuses, the prospects for the state's economy to grow and for young people to succeed in the job market. Virginia voters' views contrast national surveys from the Pew Research Center and Third Way, which found both Republican and Democratic voters cited high costs as one of the key reasons for the lack of confidence in institutions over the past few years. While most Democratic respondents pinpointed rising costs and quality as concerns about the quality of higher education in America, Republican respondents said 'professors bringing their political and social views into the classroom is a major reason why the higher education system is headed in the wrong direction,' according to the Pew survey. The VBHEC poll results found that 90% of Virginians want their children to attend one of Virginia's public colleges and universities and 81% of respondents said Virginia's colleges are doing a good job of preparing young people for success in a changing economy. Conversely, 21% of Republicans and 12% of Democrats said Virginia colleges are doing a bad job in these areas. Public Opinion Strategies and Frederick polls, two national opinion firms representing both parties Republicans and Democrats, conducted the VBHEC study in December with 800 registered Virginia voters aged 18 and older. The margin of error for the survey is ±3.95%. Founded in 1994, the VBHEC's mission is to enhance the performance of Virginia's public colleges, universities, and community colleges and their state funding so institutions can produce a significant impact on Virginia's economy. Dennis Treacy, chair of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, said in a statement that the link between higher education, the growth of the commonwealth's economy, and the lifelong success of its young people is 'crystal clear' to all Virginians. 'They get it. They know that when we invest in our colleges, universities, and community colleges — making degrees and credentials affordable for all and providing work-based learning opportunities that prepare students for the jobs and careers of tomorrow — the commonwealth is stronger for it,' said Treacy. Last year, CNBC named Virginia the best state to do business after examining the commonwealth's K-12 public schools and higher education institutions. Kirk Cox, president of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and former Virginia House Speaker, said it's 'unusual' to find something that unites all Virginians, considering the current volatile political environment. He said the VBHEC's poll results should send a message to all current and aspiring political leaders. 'Whatever disagreements voters may have on other issues, one thing that very large majorities in both parties strongly agree about is the need to prioritize investments in our top-ranked higher education so we maintain our competitive advantage as the 'talent state' and so young Virginians and career-changing adults have the credentials they need to succeed,' Cox said in a statement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
