Who Is The Hot Water Guy?

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Front page of today’s Irish Daily Mai

On Irish Water’s website, it describes Coleman Sheehy as:

Coleman Sheehy was appointed to the Irish Water Board in November 2013. Mr. Sheehy is involved in property investment and development and commenced employment with Sherry Fitzgerald Estate Agents. He subsequently spent some time in America, where he was involved in property investment and real estate with members of his family prior to returning to Ireland. He is currently involved in property investment and real estate in Ireland, the UK and in Central and Eastern Europe.

Journalist Neil Michael reports in the Irish Daily Mail [not online] today:

“The Mail asked both Mr Sheehy and Irish Water to flesh out his employment history but both declined. A call to Sherry FitzGerald, meanwhile, elicited a short statement to the effect that he ‘worked for us briefly in the later 1990s’. Further enquiries led sources to claim he spent less than a year there – in the lettings department.”

“And as far as him currently being ‘involved in property investment and development’, evidence of this was hard to come by last week, other than his apparent involvement in a firm that was recently listed for strike-off. On the Companies Registration Office database of directorships, Mr Sheehy is listed as having two directorships.

“One is with Irish Water with the first name ‘Coleman’ as it appears on his birth certificate, and for which he describes his profession as ‘property consultant’. The other – using the first name Colman 0 is with a firm called Melot Properties, set up in 1995 and run by older brother Andrew. Coleman joined as a director in 2004 and here he lists his profession as ‘valuer’.”

“Melot Properties, which has just been listed for strike-off from the register of companies for the fourth time since June 2011, steadily built up assets of €227,000 in 1996 to just over €1million in the year to September 2011. These assets for the company – which has outstanding bank loans of more than €1million in 2011 – appear to include two addresses on Gardiner Place, Dublin city centre. According to the Companies Registration Office latest records, two judgement summonses have been issued against the company. One, in 2009, was for €14,725.”

The Mail put a series of questions in writing to Mr Sheehy last week, including one about this judgement. While he has declined to talk directly about it or any other issues raised by the Mail, last week an envelope was hand-delivered anonymously to our offices. This contained a letter appearing to show that this judgement had been settled in the sum of €10,000.

“Although [Mr Sheehy’s aunt, Kathleen Sheehy] knew little of Coleman and his appointment, she did reveal that her family is steeped in Fine Gael history. Her father, for example, fought as a Free State soldier under Michael Collins and he later fought under Franco during the Spanish Civil War. ‘He was only a young fella when he was carrying dispatches up to Michael Collins by train to Cork,’ she recalled.”

Meanwhile, Fiach Kelly, in the Irish Times this morning, reports:

“The brother of a Fine Gael donor recorded as giving €1,000 to Lucinda Creighton when she was contesting a Dáil seat for the party was appointed to the board of Irish Water, The Irish Times has learned.”

“[Coleman] Sheehy, known as Frankie Sheehy, is listed as Colman Francis Sheehy in the Companies Registration Office (CRO) under records held for Irish Water. In the CRO documents confirming his directorship of Irish Water, Mr Sheehy’s occupation is listed as a property consultant and declares another directorship, of Melot Properties Limited.”

“Andrew Sheehy is listed as another director of Melot. Sources said the pair are brothers. Andrew Sheehy is recorded under Standards in Public Office (SIPO) records as having donated €1,000 to Ms Creighton in 2007, when she contested and won a Dáil seat in Dublin South East. Ms Creighton last said Andrew Sheehy “made a donation to my campaign in 2007, but I don’t really know the guy”.”

Meanwhile, in last weekend’s Sunday Independent, Shane Ross wrote:

“A mystery man sits beside [Irish Water chairman] Rose [Hynes] at the monthly meeting. A director called Coleman Sheehy hardly registers on Google. The company provides the following utterly useless information about Coleman. He is “involved in property investment and development and commenced employment with Sherry FitzGerald estate agents. He subsequently spent some time in America, where he was involved in property investment and real estate with members of his family prior to returning to Ireland.”

“He is currently involved in property investment and real estate in Ireland , the UK and Central and Eastern Europe.“No past employer named, bar Sherry FitzGerald. No dates. No education. No positions. No titles. No qualifications. Company searches draw a blank. But Coleman has been to America. We know that. Maybe he travelled by boat? So he probably knows all about water.

“I rang the Department of Environment on Thursday to ask about Coleman’s qualifications. “I do not have any idea who he is,” responded the press officer. I rang Irish Water. They wanted 12 hours to find out.”

Brother of Fine Gael donor appointed to board of Irish Water (Irish Times)

Shane Ross: Rose’s garden at Irish Water needs weeding (Sunday Independent)

Irish Water board

Previously: Contains Impurities – The irish Water Timeline

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37 thoughts on “Who Is The Hot Water Guy?

  1. Stephen

    Yes I know it’s not the point of the story but how can Matt Cooper write an article jumping on one side of an argument and then potentially have to argue both sides in his show later?

    1. Delacaravanio

      Is there another side to the argument?

      The price of petrol is something like 80% tax.

      It hardly represents value for money.

    1. andyourpointiswhatexactly

      He’s lashed into that suit, though. That jacket was made for someone quite a bit slimmer than he is. Also, quite strained around the crotchular area. Janey Mac: I’m all of a dither.

  2. mauriac

    I’m Primo Sindone.
    They call me Sonny Long.
    Some of you know me
    as Mikey Gaga.
    Some of you know me
    as Joey Boombots.
    Be that as it may …

  3. Limey Tank

    Jayzus. That’s some return on investment though. A 1k donation -> 15k? If I had have known that, I’d have spent me house deposit differently.

    1. Sam

      Letter to thirty year old me :

      “That political donation was a great idea – never mind putting my own money into Zurich”

      1. Planet of the Missing Biros

        I hate those pretentious ads. They should just drop the radio ads and spend the money on billboards from Dublin 4 to Killiney.

      2. Delacaravanio

        Their old ads used the tagline: “that’s it, I’m moving to Zurich.”

        Of course they dropped that after the recession saw everyone under the age of 45 taking it literally and emigrating.

      3. Mario Balotelli

        “Dear 30 year old me. When you get to 65, remember to turn the hurl on yourself, and wear it down to a nub, coz you turn into SOME annoying, condescending C T!!… oh yeah, and put away a heap of cash so I can eat me dinner in Paris.”

  4. Frilly Keane, Anyone?

    Wonder what he got up ta in Amerika

    Like did he knock around wi’ any crowd that would put spondoulies in Lucinda’s poca

        1. Tom Stewart

          I got a 404 when I wasn’t logged into my Facebook account. I’ve logged into my Facebook account, and you can see Frankie Sheehan’s profile in all its glory.

      1. Gav D

        And taking the mickey out of travellers in a comment posted on 20 March at 23:08.

        That’ll go down well here…

  5. phil

    I think I have solved it, Is that the same family that run The Plough bar in Milltown Co. Kerry?

    Pubs use a lot of water, and I believe businesses have been metered for years , there you go , ‘experience’

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