Mike Ashley has had somewhat of a strained relationship with Ireland in recent years. The British retail magnate tried and failed to wrestle control of the Elverys sports chain during the last crash, and this time around, Ashley has been busy battling landlords over hefty rental costs. He shut down the flagship House of Fraser department store, which anchored the Dundrum Town Centre, after failing to agree a deal with Hammerson, the owner of the centre, on a rent decrease, while the most recent accounts for his Irish operations show it booked a €26.8 million provision for onerous leases. None…