Meteoric rise to prominence of a civil engineer
TV soccer pundit and former Liverpool player Jamie Rednapp and his popstar wife Louise were among the celebrities who helped launch Belmayne, a 2,200 unit scheme in north Dublin.
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HE started off as a civil engineer, but Donal Caulfield's destiny was to scale the heights of the property boom, building up a collection of "seven or eight" Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis, not to mention the private jet.
The highlight, in what was a decidedly flash rise to prominence, came with the 2007 launch of Belmayne, a 2,200 unit scheme in north Dublin.
Not content with the usual promos, Caulfield (above) opted for a series of salacious billboards culminating in one with a scantily-clad couple lying in bed and an extra man hovering behind.
The launch itself was the stuff of Celtic Tiger fairytales, with a €2m "information centre", surrounded by 10 olive trees, a steal at a mere €60,000, while celebrities including former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp, his popstar wife Louise and celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin turned out to woo the crowds.
At the centre of it all was Mr Caulfield, reportedly clad in a diamante-studded Roberto Cavalli beanie, Versace jeans, Matrix-style coat and indoor shades, strutting his stuff with his then fiancee, a former Miss Universe entrant, at his side.
- laura noonan
Irish Independent
