Row erupts in Wicklow over future of former Bray Boxing Club building
The Wicklow PeopleA Wicklow councillor has strongly criticised a decision to nominate Bray Rowing Club as the new occupants of the former Bray Boxing Club building in the town.
Wicklow County Council took possession of the building in June 2018 after a shooting incident the same month, in which gym member Bobby Messett was killed and two others, including Peter Taylor, the father and former coach of Olympic and World boxing champion Katie Taylor, who once trained there, were injured.
Since then, the doors of the boxing club have remained closed, with the site lying vacant.
The council put out a call last year for sports clubs located in the area, which participate in sports that are recognised by Sport Ireland, to pitch their ideas about how the building should be used.
During the district’s October monthly meeting, elected members heard presentations from two other clubs who had made submissions prior to the mid-summer deadline.
Enniskerry Boxing Club, the home club of Paris Olympian Daina Moorehouse, was among those to make a presentation to members during the meeting. The club was founded in 2013 and is run on a voluntary basis. Liberty Boxing Gym, which launched in September 2016, also made a play to set up shop in the area.
An expert panel was then set up to review each submission, with each presentation being judged on certain weighted criteria. The panel held a meeting recently and reverted with a final recommendation at the district’s December monthly meeting which was in favour of Bray Rowing Club.
During the first full council meeting of 2026, Cllr Gerry O’ Neill questioned why the panel made that decision.
“I think there should be a full inquiry into this decision. Boxing is the poor relation in Ireland. It always has been. We're always quick enough to get to the airport and welcome Katie Taylor home with gold medals. I mean the building in Bray was a designed and built for boxing. There was over €250,000 spent on that design. There is a very, very bitter taste in people's mouth in Bray, especially the people involved in boxing, who feel they have been ignored.” In response Bray district manager Jackie Carroll said the process was fair and transparent.
“All the Bray members agreed to the expression of interest process. That was advertised late last summer. We received four applications. One subsequently withdrew. We set up an assessment board which we agreed with the members. We assessed each application based on criteria.”
“After the assessment process the lease on the property has been recommended to be awarded to Bray Rowing Club. Just to reiterate there was nothing going on here. The process was open, transparent, impartial, and unbiased, as was required of it, and we are progressing that lease which will come before the members to vote on.”
Cllr O’ Neill expressing his dissatisfaction about the process, continued to query why the panel decided to nominate the rowing club as the new tenants.
“I am an elected representative and all I am asking for is an answer. Why was the decision made to move it from the decision of the Bray councillors to three individuals to make the decision?”
Rowing in beside her executive colleague, Chief Executive Emer O’ Gorman tried again to explain that the process was handled in a “full, open and transparent manner."
“Councillor O'Neill the details of that went through the elected members beforehand. It is not appropriate for elected members to assess tenders or expressions of interests. That's not the function of the elected members. The recommendation then goes back to the district and forward to the Council for the lease to be signed.” When that didn’t seem to allay Cllr O’ Neill’s concerns, Cathaoirleach Melanie Corrigan tried to clarify the situation.
“No, Councillor O'Neill, this was discussed at the Municipal District level, and it was agreed that it would go through this process. So, I am sorry, no It was never the decision of the councillors. It was never to be the decision of the councillors. And I think the Director has explained that.”
With no end in sight to the stalemate and impatience growing from both the executive team and the other councillors present in the chamber, Cllr Joe Behan took the bull by the horns and tapped into his former days as a schoolteacher to clear the air on the issue.
“Councillor O'Neill, we the councillors agreed that there should be a process where there would be some kind of expert, or groups who were not elected members who would look at the criteria for what the use of the building would best be allocated for.”
“So, we agreed on the process. But you're right about one thing, the final decision on the allocation of the lease will have to be made here, as the Chief Executive has said. And if members around this table decide that they don't want to accept the recommendation of that advisory body the members will be entitled to make a different decision. That has always been the case.”
“I am one of the ones who agreed to the process, and one of the reasons I agreed to the process is because I discovered that in fact it was already going to be proposed that the Rowing Club were going to get it before any process at a council meeting. And I wasn't happy about that.”
“It's not that you have nothing to add to this conversation, you have a lot to add to it, Councillor O'Neill, but I am just explaining how that's how the process was agreed by the councillors. But the ultimately decision will be made here when the disposal of the lease will come before the members.”
In response Cllr O’ Neill asked for assurance that the rowing club don't have access to the building.
“They shouldn't have as far as I am concerned.” said Cllr Behan.
Ms Carroll said members of the club were invited to look at the site, however everything is subject to the lease being agreed.
“They were advised that the lease is being prepared and a section 183 disposal will be prepared to go through. But obviously the property had to be shown to the successful applicant. They have advised that they were successful, as all the members were advised who was successful and who wasn't.
“And just on another note, Councillor Behan referenced the boxing, Bray members and the executive have committed to working with boxing clubs to look at supporting them with a view to obtaining suitable premises for their sport.”
“Ok, I'll leave it at that.” Cllr O’ Neill concluded.
The rowing club, which celebrated 90 years in existence in 2025 previously said in a lengthy statement they were “thrilled” to be nominated as the new tenants.
“With our current building recently condemned, the future of the club had been uncertain — and this decision represents far more than a new space. It is a turning point that secures the long-term future of our athletes, our members, and the generations of rowers still to come.”
The group thanked local representatives for their support, acknowledging Cllr Caroline Winstanley “for her guidance, encouragement, and advocacy”.