Last Wednesday, as Ireland prepared itself for two days of public holidays, Mike Ashley’s top Irish executives signed off on the most recent financial statements for the British retail billionaire’s main Irish operation. The accounts covered some interesting ground: it received €2.8 million in government supports, paid a €1 million dividend and has an €850,000 commitment to sports sponsorship deals, most of which likely relates to Cork GAA. However, the accounts covered the 12-month period ending April 2021, a year in which retail was decimated by the pandemic. So, it was not surprising that revenues and headcount were both down,…