| Bit of a barney over rights to photo
Blarney  A
DISPUTE over the right to take photos of people kissing the Blarney Stone
was settled at the High Court in Ireland last week.
Quaid Gallery Ltd which has taken photos of people kissing the famo
had challenged a decision to terminate its lease for photography services
at Blarney Castle.
The company said it appeared the Blarney Estate was proposing to take
over photography at the castle.
When the case was called last week, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy was told the
sides were involved in settlement talks and the judge allowed time for
negotiations to continue outside the courtroom.
Shortly afterwards Mr Hugh O’Neill SC for Mr Charles Colthurst,
owner of Blarney Castle, said the matter had been settled on terms which
included an undertaking from the Quaid Gallery Ltd that Mr John Quaid
would vacate the property involved by March 31.
In an affidavit presented at an earlier hearing, Ms Catherine Quaid said
she and her father John had been operating a photography service at Blarney
Castle since 1990 from a kiosk in the grounds of the castle.
The Quaid Gallery occupied the kiosk some 183 days of the year and initially
paid Ir£1,200 rent per year which rose in 2004 to £3,000 per
year.
Ms Quaid said she was extremely surprised and upset when her company
received a letter on February 21, 2006 from Mall Management agents for
Blarney Castle saying that with effect from spring 2007 Blarney Estate
would make new arrangements for photography at the castle and the Quaid
company’s facility would cease.
The Quaid company was invited in December 2006 to tender for the Blarney
Stone souvenir photographic business which referred to the digital equipment
and aerials placed on the lands by her company with the defendants consent. |
