THE parish priest of Ballyconnell, Fr Oliver O’Reilly, who in a homily blamed the abduction and attack on Kevin Lunney on a ‘Mafia-style group’ with its own godfather, has responded to Sean Quinn’s first television interview since the attack.
Friday night’s interview with Mr Quinn, on Channel 4 on Friday evening heard the former tycoon recall how he was “very nice to the priest” when he visited him at his parochial house, but he told him, “you’re wrong, wrong, wrong,” in relation to his homily. However, Fr O’Reilly told the Sunday Independent that when Mr Quinn called at his door he was “angry” and was “objecting to the tone of my homily”.
The priest said he told Mr Quinn that the person he referred to in the homily “could be anybody”.
The attack on Mr Lunney, the Independent said, has ended any ambition he had of rejoining the company.
“People can say whatever they want about me, but I don’t want to be seen as being a beneficiary of abuse or of criminal activity,” Mr Quinn told the programme.
However the Sunday Independent now claims that ‘internal records’ it has obtained suggest that QIHL, of which Kevin Lunney is Chief Operating Officer, had had difficulties with Mr Quinn.
It claims an internal memo circulated by the US investors to senior management dated March 2016 stated that Mr Quinn was “increasingly uncomfortable” in his role as an adviser and wanted to acquire ownership.
Investors were “growing increasingly uncomfortable with the escalating acts of violence and intimidation”, the memo said.
The paper says a second document revealed that Mr Quinn appealed to the US investors to take him back as recently as five months ago and that in a letter dated May 17 this year, Quinn acknowledged his failings.
“On reflection perhaps my passion for the business, and my enthusiasm to ensure that it was successful, meant that my views were not always articulated in the most appropriate manner.”
He claimed concern among staff and the community about the future of the company is “at an all-time high” and sought a meeting, and offered investors his “expertise, goodwill and raw materials” to make the company successful again.
It is understood QIHL didn’t reply to the letter..
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