Hair Today Gone Tomorrow?

Charlesland Shopping Centre yesterday. At lunchtime.

inead Connolly of Sin É Hair & Beauty Salon in Charlesland was in the High Court today, seeking an order to return to her workplace.

Situated at Unit 2 at the Charlesland Shopping Centre, Sinead’s business has been shut throughout the lockdown.

During which time, agents of her landlord, Peter McLaughlin, entered the salon and changed the locks.

Accepting in court today that said landlord was claiming rent arrears of €77,000, representing herself, Ms Connolly said that when she signed the original 25-year lease in 2005, she could not afford what she called the “Celtic Tiger” rent of €36,800 per year. Her payment of an annual market rent of €20,000 had, she said, been accepted by her landlord for some years – the difference between this and the “Celtic Tiger” rent, she explained, largely being the arrears.

According to today’s Irish Times, Connolly also explained to the court that the parties involved had conducted talks regarding the rent going forward, and that she had informed her landlord that she had entered a Personal Insolvency Arrangement due to difficulties with her mortgage. No agreement had been agreed on the rent, and Ms Connolly accepted that her lease was probably vacated and she had sourced a new location for her business.

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The orders requested today included an injunction allowing Connolly back into her premises for about six weeks so she could deal with her customers, and also remove the equipment that belongs to her.

Refusing an injunction restraining Mr McLaughlin not allowing the Sin É staff access to the premises, Mr Justice Senan Allen said he anticipated the landlord’s lawyers would argue that their actions were perfectly lawful.

With the case being adjourned to early next week, the judge granted permission to serve short notice of the proceedings on Mr McLaughlin’s lawyers.