Financier Dermot Desmond has been the victim of a security breach after a trader posted video from a bedroom at his new mansion on Shrewsbury Road, Dublin 4.
Last week, Mr Desmond directed his lawyers to take action to remove the video post. This weekend, the Desmond family’s legal counsel made the announcement Sunday independent: “We take the matter very seriously.”
In the video, the retailer, who goes by the name “Mick”, shows his 1,656 followers the luxurious surroundings of the property and comments: “Guys this gaff would make you sick! Honest to god man… Look at that. The guy who owns Celtic owns it. Dermot Desmond.”
Desmond’s new build replaces Walford, the 1902 red-brick Victorian-era house famously bought by developer Seán Dunne and his then-wife Gayle Killilea for €57 million at the height of the Celtic Tiger-era housing boom.
The handyman carries his camera across a bedroom and says in disbelief at the opulent surroundings: “F**kin’ carpet… This is just a bedroom. I don’t even know what the brand of these TVs are. That gaff – he paid 14 million euros for the country, yes? Look at these little work lights.” Playing with the lights, he demonstrates, “You just turn it around on the desk. To back up. Until you go!”
The man then points the camera out the back window to show what Desmond is building at the back of the property: “So back here – over in the back corner – a blue tennis court. It has a putting green at the back. That’s his garage over there, yes? His garage!”
Pointing to the back garden, he adds, “I don’t know what he’s building here, some big fountain area or something. I’ll show you a few more rooms… Look at the carpet! Awww look at the doors guys. spiritual,
absolutely crazy!”
This weekend, Suzanne McNulty, one of Desmond’s attorneys, wrote to the Sunday independent after a query about the video.
“We are aware of the security breach and have taken appropriate action,” she said. “Thank you for recognizing the seriousness of this incident and I am sure you and your Legal Department appreciate that any further disclosure would undoubtedly compromise the security and privacy of the property and residents.” We take the issue very seriously.”
Desmond’s estate is one of the largest private residences in central Dublin.
Documentation accompanying the planning application for the 17,000-square-foot home states that “the interior walls vary in thickness and are configured to form rooms with clear geometries, similar to 17th-century French hotel plans.”
