From todays Scotland on Sunday @
Faldo's dream lands in the rough
NICOLA BYRNE IN KILLALA
CHAMPION golfer Nick Faldo has been forced to go to court to defend his £2.5m purchase of an idyllic island off the north coast of Ireland where he plans to build a "dream" world-class golf links.
Faldo, who won six major championships during his career, is to face civil action in the High Court in Dublin this week after a local woman from Killala in Co Mayo came forward to claim she still owns the unspoilt Bartragh Island.
The action comes as a blow to 46-year-old Faldo, who is expecting to receive planning permission shortly for his "Ryder Cup-class course", a project which has attracted strong criticism from environmental campaigners.
Mary Molloy, who bought the island in 1989, claims that she was conned by a former friend. After experiencing financial problems in 1996, Molloy, who had planned to build a health spa on the island, entered into an agreement with local businessman Sean Simon whereby he temporarily held the deeds for the property for three months while she sorted out her problems.
She now claims that he refused to hand back the deeds and so reneged on a legal deal they had both agreed to which culminated in the sale of Bartragh to Faldo last week.
"The island is not sold and is not for sale," said Molloy. "Nick Faldo can’t claim to own my island because I do. This is a sad and tragic story but truth will out."
However, a spokeswoman for Faldo Enterprises claimed the golfer was not worried about the legal action. "We purchased a clean title from a building society and if Ms Molloy has issues, then they’re not with us. We are confident our development will go ahead," said Anneli Lort.
The title dispute is not Faldo’s only concern. Conservationists have also declared war on his ambitions for the island in Killala Bay, which is listed as a European Union special protection area for birds.
Considered one of the most unspoilt areas in Western Europe, the 360-acre island is largely made up of undisturbed sand dunes and extensive beaches. It is also one of the most important grounds in Europe for Brent Geese to spend the winter after flying south from the North Pole.
The spectacular island is bordered by the salmon-filled River Moy on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.
Ian Lumley, spokesman for Ireland’s heritage agency, An Taisce, said it was highly questionable whether any development should take place on Bartragh. "To say this island is of ecological significance is an understatement," he said. "There is very little evidence of human life there and it is one of the few areas that the birds and wildlife have to themselves. There is a serious question as to whether development is appropriate on the island. Ireland is already well served in terms of coastal links courses."
Some locals have also objected to Faldo’s stated plans to teach them golf. When he announced his purchase of the island, the golfer said he felt sure the project would have the support of people in the surrounding areas.
"My personal dream is to come here often to relax with my family. With luck, I will one day teach the local fishermen to play golf, and in return they can show me a few tricks of their trade," he said.
However, one local fisherman said this week that Faldo could "keep his patronising patter to himself". "If we want to play golf, we can learn ourselves, thanks very much," said Tommy Glynn. "Nobody minds if this man brings employment to the area but let him not dress it up any other way."
Faldo first became interested in the Ballina region of the remote Co Mayo seven years ago when he visited on an angling trip. Jack Charlton, a keen angler, is another famous resident of the area.
At that point, Faldo attempted to purchase another island off the west coast but legal problems scuppered the sale.
But then Bartragh was brought to his attention and Faldo completed his purchase of the island last week. He believes there is the potential to create "a really exceptional links course - perhaps the best and most unique in the world".
He has also insisted that he is aware of the area’s special ecological status. "The golf links I envisage would be essentially ‘hand-crafted’ - a return to how courses were created long ago. It is an incredible site and it would not be a case of building a course so much as discovering it.
"It would be wonderful to restore the dilapidated Bartragh House and our plans would be appropriately ‘low-key’ and extremely sensitive to the environment. They will only be finalised after we have consulted fully with Mayo County Council and other interested groups in Killala, Ballina and the surrounding area."
Mel Flanagan, a course architect from Irish Golf Design, who pointed out the potential of Bartragh to Faldo, said: "Nick will really relish the opportunity."
Local member of parliament, Fine Gael’s Michael Ring, said Faldo’s plan would be a boost for Co Mayo, which has the highest levels of unemployment in Ireland. He said: "It is wonderful to have Nick Faldo buying the island and having an interest in creating a golf course there. It would give a great boost to tourism in the region." He rejected An Taisce’s criticism adding: "If they had their way, all that would live there would be wildlife and birds."
If Faldo overcomes the obstacles facing his development, he will join a list of champion golfers who have been associated with big money layouts in Ireland. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Bernhard Langer, Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomery and Mark O’Meara have all designed courses in Ireland, although none of them have owned the land on which they have been built.
Sean Simon was unavailable for comment yesterday. The auctioneer, Helen Cassidy, who conducted the sale of the island, refused to comment.