Walsh has largest property holding of local TDs

Fine Gael’s Brian Walsh continues to have the largest property holding of all local TDs, with a house, apartments, a retail unit and sites included in his portfolio.

The latest Dáil Register of Interests – published this week – shows that the Galway West has listed his occupation as being income derived from rental properties.

Meanwhile, his party colleague in Galway East, Ciarán Cannon, is the only Galway TD who owns a holiday home – in a small village in the south of France.

The Register lists occupations; share ownership; directorships; land ownership (including property); gifts; property supplied or lent or services supplied; travel facilities; remunerated positions and contracts.

Deputy Walsh owns a house in Mervue, as well as apartments in Wellpark, the Docks, in Sligo, and one at Foley Street in Dublin.

He also owns a retail unit and two apartments at Briarhill Shopping Centre in Galway and a 5% share in an adjacent site. The Deputy also declared a one-quarter share of a commercial property in Briarhill Business Park.

There is a 10% share in industrial premises at Parkmore and Mervue Industrial Estates also. He also owns a quarter-acre site in Merlin Park and a half-acre site in Roscam. He is listed as a director, in a voluntary capacity, as a non-executive director of Mervue Creche Ltd, which is a non-profit group.

Ciarán Cannon owns a holiday home 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 Chairman 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.

Independent Deputy Noel Grealish has 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 an unoccupied 8,800 square foot unit in Briarhill Business Park.

Seán Kyne (FG) has 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, Údaras na Gaeltachta, Inland Fisheries and NUI Galway.

Paul Connaughton Jnr (FG) in Galway East declared 18 acres of farmland in Mountbellew, while Micheál Kitt declared 630 shares in Irish Life & Permanent and 131 shares in Vodafone. He is a retired teacher, but is not in receipt of a teacher’s pension.

Éamonn Ó Cuív (FF), Colm Keaveney (FF) and Derek Nolan (Labour) did not make any declarations in the current Register of Interests.