A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Tribunal to halt hearings on Quarryvale
The High Court has granted an injunction to Cork property developer Owen O'Callaghan halting further public hearings of the Mahon tribunal into matters related to the rezoning of Quarryvale.
The injunction applies pending the outcome of judicial review proceedings to be heard early in the New Year.
Mr Justice John Quirke said the court would be in a position to hear the judicial review proceedings within the first four weeks of the new legal term, beginning January 11th.
Lawyers for Mr O'Callaghan and others had sought the injunction to prevent the Mahon tribunal from further inquiring into or making any findings on allegations made against him by developer Tom Gilmartin.
Landlord told to remove guards
A judge has directed a landlord to remove two of his security guards from the front hallway of a businessman's rented private home.
Judge Alison Lindsay told barrister Patrick Leonard yesterday in the Circuit Civil Court she had "no hesitation whatsoever" in making the order.
Mr Leonard told the court his client, Lawrence Daniel O'Neill, had in March 2001 leased the house at Longford Terrace, Monkstown, Co Dublin, as a business base, from Ross Power of Sorrento Terrace, Dalkey.
Mr O'Neill had paid Mr Power £140,000 (€179,000) prepaid rent and deposit and had occupied the premises as offices for a company which later went into examinership at the end of 2001. In 2002 he negotiated use of the premises as his residential home.
He had sold his residence in Wicklow and had moved his family to Longford Terrace in January 2003.
Mr Leonard said Mr O'Neill had offered to buy the house for €2 million in September 2005 which had been rejected in November when Mr Power had claimed the premises was worth much more.
Mr O'Neill, in an affidavit, said Mr Power "in recent days" arrived at the house with about eight workmen and asked him and his family to quit the house immediately. Mr Power had said he had ordered a removals company to move out his belongings.
Mr O'Neill refused to move and Mr Power had stationed two of his employees in the front hall threatening that they would bar access to everyone from then on, a threat on which he had not followed through.
Mr O'Neill said the events caused considerable upset to him and his family, particularly his wife and autistic son. He said there was a dispute about rent but he had lodged a cheque with his solicitor which could be handed to the court if necessary.
Court sets date for prison site case
The High Court has fixed Thursday next for the hearing of an application by a local man for an injunction to halt any works by digging machines on areas of the site of a proposed new prison at Thornton in north Co Dublin.
The application of Richard Merne was mentioned yesterday to Mr Justice Thomas Smyth.
If granted, the injunction would apply pending the outcome of plenary proceedings in which Mr Merne is seeking a declaration that the lands on which it is proposed to build the prison are a prehistoric archaeological site and a national monument within the meaning of the National Monuments Act.