Beneath the waves.
The company directed by the High Court to vacate the National Aquatic Centre and hand it back to the State is considering whether to appeal that ruling in the Supreme Court, its controlling shareholder said yesterday.
John Moriarty, a director of Dublin Waterworld Ltd, declined to speak about the likelihood of an appeal to the ruling, which takes effect on April 28th.
"We're reviewing that with our legal team so I couldn't comment," he said.
The company, whose involvement in the aquatic centre has been dogged by controversy, must make up its mind on an appeal within 21 days of publication of a perfected judgment by Mr Justice Paul Gilligan.
If the company goes ahead with an appeal, it will retain the right to run the centre until that appeal is decided. In that scenario, the State company Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd (CSID) is likely to seek an early hearing of the case together with security for costs.
If there is no appeal, CSID will take possession of the centre. Staff will remain in place and the centre will stay open pending CSID's appointment of a new operating company. The judge deferred until April 25th a decision on any application by Dublin Waterworld for a stay on the order for possession. Also adjourned was the issue of liability for the costs of the legal proceedings.