Courts / Tipperary / Report
'Rude' text message about Barne bidder and John Magnier hailed as 'savvy' and 'decent', court hears
Summary
In a High Court hearing on 24 July 2025, the court considered a deleted text message sent by Alexandra McCullough, sister of Richard Thomson‑Moore, which criticised American tycoon Maurice Regan and praised John Magnier as "savvy" and "decent". The message, sent to auctioneer John Stokes on 10 September 2023, described the competition for the 751‑acre Barne estate in Tipperary as a "full on war" and alleged Regan had "thrown a tantrum" over the sale. McCullough said she deleted the message because she feared the disparaging remarks about Regan would become public if the trustees accepted Regan's higher offer. The court heard that McCullough had also received a €50,000 cash gift from Magnier, which she later returned, and that she felt uncomfortable with the cash offer. The case involves Magnier's claim that he had a €15 million hand‑shake agreement with Thomson‑Moore for the estate, a claim the Barne defendants deny.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Rude' text message about Barne bidder and John Magnier hailed as 'savvy' and 'decent', court hears. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- September 10, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 11, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 2023 Other
- August 22, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- August 31 Other
- September 30, 2023 Other
- 2025-07-24 Publication
Why: The court was told the text was only discovered because the estate agent took a screen grab of it. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Places mentioned
- Paul Neilan The High Court
- Century Tipperary Estate
- Tipperary
- Barne estate
- The estate
Topics
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