Hi °C | Lo °C Nick Webb lists the 'great and the good' who hold shares in BoI
JUSTICE Feargus Flood, the scourge of bent builders and politicians through the Flood tribunal, has emerged as a substantial shareholder in Bank of Ireland. He is one of 65,000 shareholders who have seen the value of their shares tumble in recent days on the news that Mike Soden had been rebuffed in his efforts to join up with Abbey National in a ?21bn deal.
The shares have recovered slightly over recent days due to speculation that Bank of Ireland itself may now become a target for a larger predator like Lloyds TSB.
Flood is listed as holding 1,400 shares since October 2000, when the shares traded at ?8. The shares are worth ?13,510. A Feargus Michael Flood of the same address has held 2,684 BoI shares since 1976, now worth almost ?26,000. Bovale Developments' Caroline Bailey, who was hammered in the recent Flood tribunal interim report, has held 1,050 shares in the bank since 1988.
Westlife Manager and Popstars judge Louis Walsh is also a shareholder with 3,044 shares held since June 1999. They have risen in value by about ?4,000 since the pop impresario bought them. The Shareholders' Register also details people who sold the shares or moved them into nominee accounts. Pat Kenny's Media Investment Trust made a killing in BoI, buying shares in September 1998 at about ?7 and selling in May of this year, after the shares had almost doubled in value. Gay Byrne's Gabbro Ltd also moved off the register in February this year. And Out of Africa Oscar winner Josie MacAvin has held 5,313 shares since 1987.
The Catholic Church, in various guises, is a huge shareholder, with close to 100 entries on the register. Individual dioceses or trusts make up a large number of the entries, although Cardinal Desmond Connell and other bishops are listed as holding the shares on behalf of the Church in many of the accounts. One of the larger accounts has held 259,697 shares since April 1989, when they traded at the equivalent of almost ?2. These are now worth ?2.5m and represent a fraction of the Church's total shareholding, which could run into tens of millions.
Michael Smurfit is a minuscule shareholder in BoI. Fyffes ruling dynasty, the McCann family, hold over 50,000 shares through their Balkan Investment vehicle. Now worth ?480,000 the shares have been registered since 1986. Rival banker Sean Fitzpatrick of Anglo Irish has 14,964 shares worth almost ?145,000, which he has owned for four years. Kerry Group chief Hugh Friel has been a small shareholder for eight years. Former JurysDoyle chairman Walter Beatty appears to hold close on 36,000 shares in a number of accounts. His replacement, Richard Hooper, owns 2,219 shares, held since 1988.
Guinness's Clive Brownlee has 7,107 shares, valued at ?69,000. SherryFitzgerald chairman Donal Chambers also has just over 7,100 shares. Former IBI boss and now Heiton chairman Richard Keating is listed as holding just over 2,800 shares.
Former CRH chief executive, AIB director and Hibernian chairman Jim Culliton is also a shareholder, with 7,481 shares registered since July 1998, one year before he resigned from a number of boards, following the Ansbacher revelations. The shares traded at about ?9.05 when purchased. Mary Culliton holds 3,123 shares.
Tailor Louis Copeland is listed as holding 353 shares, with publican Charlie Chawke owning 4,164 shares valued at over ?40,000. Spar magnate John Clohisey has a small holding of 559 shares. Denis O'Brien's partner Leslie Buckley has held 406 since 1986. Wine merchant Alex Findlater has 1,927 shares. Noelle Campbell Sharpe has held almost 900 shares since the mid-Nineties, while Bronwyn Conroy has 1,729 shares, worth about ?17,000. Distinguished former civil servant and Central Bank governor Dr TK Whitaker has 65,045 shares. KPMG accountant and regular Lotto draw supervisor Alex Burns has 87,208 shares, held since the 1970s. Members of John Magnier's family are also shareholders.
Former Eircom chairman and European Agriculture Commissioner Ray MacSharry has held 1,249 shares since 1993, when they traded at under ?2.50. FF insider Martin Mansergh has also been a shareholder for about 10 years. FG's Richard Bruton has 636 shares. Former Minister of State for Agriculture Ned O'Keeffe has held 1,777 shares for six years. PD John Dardis is also a shareholder.
The identities of those no longer listed on the register is equally enlightening, revealing some extremely high profile names, like Ben Dunne, Elio Malocco, First Active chairman John Callaghan, Dunloe Ewart's Noel Smyth and sailor Colm Barrington.
DCC boss Jim Flavin no longer has shares registered in his name, although Mary Flavin has held 12,500 shares since February 1999. Former Irish Permanent boss Edmund Farrell moved off the register almost 20 years ago.
One time Smurfit chief and multi-millionaire Howard Kilroy no longer holds shares in his name. Entrepreneur Tony Kilduff and Green Property finance director Danny Kitchen have also left the register, along with David McKenna of Marlborough International, the listed recruitment firm that went into receivership last year.
