A Middle Eastern conflict

D-Day is approaching in a high-stakes legal showdown between Celtic Tiger architect Jerry Ryan and engineering tycoon Barry English, with the case hinging on whether English’s takeover of Ryan’s Emirati firm was a genuine deal or a ‘ball of smoke’. Francesca Comyn reports

Barry English attended both days of the High Court proceedings and right Jerry Ryan at the High Court in Dublin for the hearing Pic: CourtPix

Buying Jerry Ryan’s Middle Eastern architectural practice was partly an act of altruism, a way of helping a friend. But friendship had its limits, businessman Barry English told the Commercial Court last month.

Under cross-examination, the founder of Winthrop Engineering defended the controversial 2011 deal he struck with Ryan, the successful but financially troubled architect behind the renowned Dublin firm HKR, who was at the time sinking into bankruptcy.

Having already known each ...