Ah, the lifestyles of the rich and famous - lavish yacht parties, appearances in gossip columns, days out at the races, society weddings. But what about the lifestyles of the rich, smart and hard-working but little-known? Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but it might just be fun too.
Take Mr Terry Coleman, who duelled it out anonymously at auction with AIB chairman Mr Lochlainn Quinn earlier this month to snatch Sorrento House in Dalkey for a mere £5.9 million. There is no mention of him on the Internet, nor do the clippings libraries hold anything on him. The antics of his party guests do not appear in low-brow Sunday papers; why, he doesn't even own a horse.
His Manchester-based company is not on the stock exchange, so it does not have to produce glossy annual reports for shareholders. His secretary doesn't have to return calls. No one seems to have a photograph. Could it be that he has risen without trace?
Not quite. Those close to Mr Coleman, aged 54, confirm that he and his wife, Anita (51), did indeed buy Sorrento House, and they are amazed that the press should show such interest in the transaction. The couple, and their four children, aged from 12 to 25, don't even plan to come to live in Ireland for the time being.
Those acting for Mr Coleman eventually released a statement outlining how he came to be wealthy.
Born and educated in Dublin, he graduated from UCD with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He married Anita, who is also from Dublin. He went to work for AC Neilson as a presenter, then went to Irish Distillers, where he managed the North American market. From there he moved to the Jefferson Smurfit group.
In 1985, he founded the Scorpion group in Britain to make and distribute car-alarm systems. Scorpion concentrated on security systems that are incorporated into vehicles at the assembly point. The company took off, and according to a recent survey in the Sunday Times, is now worth around £45 million. "The Coleman family are regular visitors to Ireland. Terry Coleman enjoys fly-fishing for salmon and also shooting," the statement says.
He is a keen aviator.