Quinns will rise again, supporters told at rally
INE McMAHON in Ballyconnell
A DEFIANT Ciara Quinn told thousands of supporters gathered in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, yesterday that the Quinn family would rise again, continue to fight and not go quietly into the night.
Peter Quinn snr, Sen snrs brother and former GAA president, said neither Anglo nor the media will break the Quinn resolve, neither Elderfield or Dukes, nor Kenny or Noonan or any of the other b******s in Dil ireann, or ever break the Quinns spirit.
The rally comes five days before Sen Quinn snr, who was found in contempt of court earlier this year, is due back at the High Court for a hearing this Friday.
Mr Quinn and his wife Patricia eventually broke down as prayers and a poem were read by Fr Gerry Comiskey for their jailed son, Sen Quinn jnr.
Sen Quinn and his wife Patricia led the march through the town and were joined by three of the Quinn daughters, Colette, Aoife and Ciara. Sen Quinn jnr is in Mountjoy prison.
Ciara Quinn said her family had been in business for four decades. We built over 200 companies and we employed tens of thousands of people . . . I would like to thank everyone for that.
To thunderous applause she said: My name is Ciara Quinn and I, alongside my bother Sen and my three sisters, Colette, Aoife and Brenda, are the true and rightful owners of the Quinn group of companies.
In 2007 and 2008 Anglo Irish Bank pumped 2.3 billion into our companies without asking us, without telling us and without ever even meeting us this was illegal, she said.
She claimed that she and her siblings were innocent parties to this and we will not b! e Anglos scapegoats.
I would like to say to everyone here no member of my family touched any asset that Anglo had legitimate borrowing or security on. The assets you are all reading about in the papers are assets that Anglo never lent any money to, which they have no valid security on.
We will prove this in our main case and we say that Anglo will have to explain to you, the Irish taxpayers, why they spent tens of millions chasing assets that they had no legitimate claim to, she added.
We were a very private, hard-working family who never courted media attention and our lives have been torn apart, as has our lifes work, and lies have been written about us continuously, selective leaking of information by the bank to the media.
Anglo is spending millions of taxpayers money on a vicious PR campaign against us and as we all know a paper never refuses ink, said Ms Quinn.
Colette Quinn told The Irish Times: Were very happy with the turn out and were delighted at the support we continue to get from the area and we really appreciate it.