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LAST UPDATE | 10 Nov 2019
TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has met with the five directors of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) this afternoon.
Varadkar said in a statement that he met with them in order to thank them for their “courage and determination” as well as to thank Kevin Lunney for the resilience he has shown since his “barbaric abduction, assault and torture”.
Lunney was savagely assaulted and tortured before being left at the side of the road at Drumcoughill, Cornafean in Co Cavan on 23 September. The main suspect who it’s believed orchestrated the abduction died on Friday during a police raid in the UK.
The incident was far from an isolated one and comes as part of a a long-running and brutal campaign of intimidation.
Varadkar was in the border region today and also attended Remembrance Sunday events in Co. Fermanagh.
“This afternoon I met the five directors of Quinn Industrial Holdings. I sought this meeting in order to thank the directors for their courage, their determination and their commitment to this vitally important company which creates so much employment and economic activity in a region that needs it,” Varadkar said this evening.
I wanted to hear their views and assure them of the government’s support for QIH, which employs more than 800 people in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and is an integral part of the community.
“In particular, I wanted to thank Kevin Lunney for the resilience he has shown following his barbaric abduction, assault and torture,” Varadkar added.
“I discussed my recent meeting with the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice. I assured them that their own security, that of their employees, and law and order in the border region is treated with the utmost seriousness at the top of government.
“Law and order must, and will, prevail in all parts of the country. We agreed to stay in contact as the criminal investigation against the perpetrators proceeds.”
Varadkar’s meeting with the QIR directors comes after Minister of State Michael D’Arcy said earlier that Lunney and other QIH directors have been “let down” by local gardaí and not the government.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, the Fine Gael minister said the campaign of intimidation faced by QIH directors was not down to a lack of garda resources.
D’Arcy said today that while people in the border region are disappointed that the campaign has continued, it is not down to a lack of action.
“The disappointment wasn’t from the very top, from Commissioner Drew Harris, it wasn’t from the Taoiseach, it wasn’t from the Minister for Justice. The disappointment was on the ground in relation to the policing that happened in those areas,” he said.
There are gardaí there, there are senior gardaí there, and it is their job to ensure what happened didn’t happen. It has happened. But it’s crucial to stay with the aspect of the paymaster.
“Of course those directors are disappointed. What happened was an outrage it was hideous the treatment of Kevin Lunney and it should have been dealt with sooner and better at that level, but I mean on every on every occasion, the Taoiseach shouldn’t have to get involved, or the Minister for Justice or the Garda Commissioner. There are senior gardaí in those divisions in those area who let those gentlemen down.”
“I don’t believe it’s a matter of resources when you have criminology of that high-level nature. It’s not a question of resources,” he added.
(Click here if video doesn’t play)
Fianna Fáil’s Cavan-Monaghan TD Brendan Smith told the programme that he will be tabling a bill that seeks the establishment of a new cross-border policing agency.
“I believe that a focused agency with its sole remit of dealing with the thuggery and criminality and the huge money-making operations that some people have gained from over the years. That we need that concerted effort to eliminate this thuggery,” he said.
This criminality is affecting small, genuine businesses. It’s costing our exchequer money as well. And that’s apart from the heinous crimes and what was committed what was done to Kevin Lunney.
D’Arcy said that he felt there was a risk that a new agency would simply “start replicating what’s already there”.
“We have CAB, we have the cross-border cooperation that’s happening right now. But it’s not just cross the border. It’s multi-jurisdictional. We saw with the raids during the week in the UK,” he said.
Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD said her party would be backing Smith’s bill, arguing that a new approach is needed.
“The border is a different type of region and a different type of policing because of the interface with the two different police forces. And that’s why we’ve got to look at this differently. But we tend to be very reactive, it’s only when a high level thing that really is obscene that happens that we react to it in a way that should have been dealt with,” she said.
In a statement this evening, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said that an agreement to set up joint investigation team between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI was signed this week.
“Policing in the border region has long been very challenging as criminals have always sought to exploit that border,” he said.
I have every confidence that An Garda Síochána and the PSNI are working together at historically close levels to prevent and investigate cross-border crime and the fruits of that cooperation were evident this week in a series of major searches.
“Nobody is above the law anywhere on the island and the new Joint Investigation Team agreement signed this week formalises the necessary policing cooperation and leaves no hiding place for criminals operating in the border area – they will be relentlessly pursued in both jurisdictions.”
Flanagan added that there are 1,500 gardai in the border region, including three Garda Armed Support Units.
After meeting with the Taoiseach, QIH said it was pleased with Varadkar’s approach and that it is “satisfied” that resources are now in place.
The company said in a statement: “QIH welcomes the personal interest taken by An Taoiseach in bringing to justice those responsible for a campaign of terror and intimidation against its staff.
“The company believes the establishment of a joint investigative team is a critical step and is satisfied that the necessary resources and resolve are now in place for an effective investigation.”
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Typical – blame everyone else bar those who are in Government. Roll on elections. G
@Ed Doyle: the General Election is only six months away. You can vote for the Trotskyites and Marxists then.
@Chin Feeyin: cutting and pasting now. Obviously not paid by the word so.
@Ed Doyle: Given even the vile anti QIH director posters had not being taken down for years, I suspect he has a point!
@jamesdecay: every day on here it’s “roll on the election” and “election now” from the same people. What’s the point?
Just pointing out the election is in May, so why go on about an election now?
@Ed Doyle: do you not think he might be right
@Chin Feeyin: well in fairness you were making more than a simple point about dates
@Ed Doyle: Yeah! I mean why would you blame garda who would not even remove signs intimidation staff, maybe check if they had prints. 70 serious incidents and no arrests ,a huge smuggling operation going on unchecked by the same alleged individuals , These Garda did nothing , only when other divisions were sent in , we got results , maybe there were intimidated , they should have left them and stop taking wages to not do a job.
@Ed Doyle: do you think that an election is going to make any difference?
@Ed Doyle: hard to blame the government for gardai who didn’t do their job.
Those weasel words will be remembered at the ballot box D’Arcy. You’re a minister in the government that held over 30 million in the Garda budget so Leo could have a photo opportunity with Trump.
@FlyB: he’s finishing up anyway
@Eoin Scanlon: lunneys replacement or associate take your choice
@FlyB: bullshit. Do gardai need their hands held by someone in government before they manage to do their jobs.
Does no one think it strage that in over 7 years and 70+ attacks most note able prior to the attack on KL, the attack on the two directors in a cafe in Ballyconnell, that there has not been one person before the courts, not one, yet when SQ took offence to a homily by the local pp the garda were on it like a car bonnet!!!!!
@Deulleona: Maybe because the Quinn empire did not let the Gardai in to the inner circle. Up to some years ago only it was the localswho were making a stand to keep the old Quinn school in power and no one else . I think a lot is going to come as to who were the rotten apples including the Gardai and maybe going right up to different Government’s
@Alan Scott: also nobody is asking why these directors are been singled out was it because they were the men that ran Quinn insurance and the Quinn company that we’re all paying for and now there running the same company again a bit like putting the foxes back in the hen house I think there’s a bigger picture been played out and we’re all looking at one side been fed fake news from a Dublin based media with an agenda of us versus the ill mannered cousins from up the north .
@Michael Mc Laughlin: You are joking right. We all know who ran Quinn and he ran out like a king
@Deulleona: Quinn Insurance employed a lot of ex Garda as Investigators, allegedly!
Poor deflection; Ballyconnell Garda station (west Cavan hub) closed at night for the last few years, who made that decision? Local Gardaí was it…
Says the man who has done absolutely nothing about his remit to reduce insurance costs. A total waster
@Mark Gough: you are very correct there Sir. A clown of a Minister, useless at dealing with the Insurance Industry, but now He is pushed out to criticise The Gardai who have been trying to waken up those in Authority to the fact that they were unable to keep tabs on the Border Lords due to lack of resources. And of course, the Men with the BARS on their Shoulders ( mostly Arse lickers) keep saying We have enough resources. The ” yes Sir no Sir three bags full Sir ” Brigade, all hoping to get more bars on the shoulders. They haven’t gone away you know.
The gardai do a great job and are very brave how dare he insult them…
@popeye Doyle: Just how did the local Garda do a good Job, failed to investigate people the company named as threatening them, failed to remove intimidation in the way of signs check them for prints even , failed to fully investigate 70 attacks , Eventually Garda from outside the division were sent to raid homes and businesses and remove signs.
@The long walk home☘️: That is not necessarily the case now. The local Gardai are thin on the Ground in that area, as are the PSNI over the way. They closed all the Border Stations after Good Friday Agreement. Our gang did likewise, scaled down big time. We heard a Supt. Say on TV that there was very little crime in West Cavan, there ya have it. The Decision makers ignored what men on the ground were saying. By the way, I don’t think it was the job of the Gardai to remove offensive signs.
@Eugene Comaskey: Intimidation is a crime those signs were evidence.
@Eugene Comaskey: Extra numbers aren’t going to make the difference if the Gardai aren’t bothered to do anything
@popeye Doyle: if the Gardai had done their job in this instance, that poor man would not be looking at a future where his physical and mental health are compromised.
@The long walk home☘️: You obviously don’t know how our security services work, they sit, they wait, they gather information. Then you get the result from the other day, a $cumbags in England, with bank accounts, mobiles etc.. a wealth of knowledge within to take the other filth out too..
@Dow Dubrov: ridiculous comment
@Dow Dubrov: you are missing the point, intelligence gathering is the key issue here and in all rural areas. Not much point in moving Gardai into an area on a Temporary basis, they need to be on the ground talking to the people gaining their trust and generally keeping their eyes open. When all that area is denuded of intelligence gathering, then the whole system fails, And that is what happened here, may I say, On both sides of the Border.
Shouldn’t you be investigating insurance over pricing or are you getting into the quinn insurance industry
@Susy Williams: were Quinn not the ones who operated at a loss in insurance and drove prices down so low?
@Vin: No, Quinn cost us all more for insurance.
@Vin: No. They are the ones that caused such a deficit after their collapse, that the Irish public were forced to pay a 2% levy for up to a quarter of a century.
In fine gaels world everything is somebody elses fault
@Barry O Toole:
Politics in general. When has any TD ever admitted responsibility for any failing ever??
@The Great Unwashed: correct but fine gael have been in govt for 8 years one crisis after another in justice never mind health and housing
@The Great Unwashed: One word NEVER.Z
QIH were let down by both Government and Gardai. It’s the job of both to ensure the safety of its citizens. If they hadn’t turned a blind eye and left the situation escalate for years hoping it would resolve itself Kevin Lunney wouldn’t have had to endure the trauma and fear he was subjected to.
I’m shocked an arrogant cabbage of a FFG minister blaming others while he and his crew are in power and would rather see garda resources used to protect lads installing water meters, or setting millions aside so leo vanity socks can have photo ops with donald duck and pence when they rolled in for a viist…….shocking not!!!!!
Now D’Arcy would be better to keep his mouth closed .What does He know about the Border Regions. He is charged with Sorting out the Insurance Industry, He has been there now for 4 Years and not one iota has he achieved. He is a disgrace of a Minister, loads of Business’s have gone down the glen because of Insurance costs, and all He can do now is come out and Criticise the Gardai in Cavan. He should look around him, they closed down Banboy, no Gardai in Swanlinbar for years, Ballyconnell reduced from District HQ to a part time station. For several years they have been denying that there is a crisis , now they are reaping the Rewards. Ballinamore had a large squad of Guards, not anymore. And Then we seen a Garda Superintendent on TV last year saying there was not any crime in West Cavan.
Disgraceful comments. Sure the lixal garda were also intimidated. Police station burnt. Does some one need to be murdered first. Apparently all the names of the feckers has been given to garda. They know who it is just dont have resources to bring them to justice.
Only an arrogant FG minister would come up with that jibe – as per usual blame the foot soldiers as you rob them of proper resources to tackle these individuals.
Arrogance the hallmark of FG spokespersons like Colm Brophy Noel Rock and like todays muppet no responsibility for their failure
@TM B: senior Gardaí are hardly foot soldiers.
@TM B: Yes, I believe the government instructed the Gardai to leave the signs untouched
@TM B: you make the gardai sound very weak. Which they are it seems.
@Dow Dubrov: why would the government do that?
Boris Johnson decimated London fire sevice and last week his government blamed that service for the Grenfel disaster. FG decimated an Gardi and now blame them for this horrendous attatck. All in the name of their joint austerity agenda while giving massive tax cuts and breaks to top 10% and big business buddies.
Who makes the decision to leave fully qualified Gardai at the Station desk on clerical duties and filling social welfare forms when they should be out there instigating crimes. This is a total waste of a good resource and needs some explanation.
Most Garda’s time is now filling report forms and ticking boxes to satisfy some head office statistician.
Why are they not seen on the ground anymore patrolling our drug infested streets.?
this junior minister needs to try do a single days work facing what a Garda does
@Ixtrix Net: gardai choose the life – they are not conscripted.
@MiseBean: they are underfunded, our government prefer to spend €30 million so Leo and the lads can look cool with the US President, a complete waste of money.
Those weasel words will be remembered at the ballot box D’Arcy. You’re a minister in the government that held over 30 million in the Garda budget so Leo could have a photo opportunity with Trump. F**k back to Wexford for yourself.
@FlyB: I totally agree, But Remember, He is the Minister charged with Straightening out the Insurance Industry, and He hasn’t Done One Thing, just talking trash. He is a lame excuse of a Politician, surely, Vote him out.
Darcy’s right, the local senior guards didn’t want to get involved in this, going on for years, only now the political pressure is on the top cops they have to go to town on them.
What is the difference between the haves and the have nots? Ask the family of Paul Quinn.
Those weasel words will be remembered at the ballot box D’Arcy. You’re a minister in the government that held over 30 million in the Garda budget so Leo could have a photo opportunity with Trump. F*(k back to Wexford for yourself.
It there was a picture of a member of your family or your kids on several poles threatening members of your family an not alone would garda do nothing about it but they wouldn’t even removed them as evidence , you would be shocked. So how can anyone say Garda did anything other than a terrible job upholding the law, it’s not about resources, signs are removed with a not so sharp penknife.
Surely all the focus was on ATM bandits. Regular garda normally dealing with fights and domestics never cut out to respond to paramilitary, specialist units and big numbers.
I swear if you look at numbers in stations there are 3 times less gardai in rural town than was there in the 1980′s. Most are held now in 3/4 big towns to go to calls. If you want a rural area policed, staff it. An awful statement ,one of them dragged down a street not to long ago.
@Albert Brennerman: and theres still no permanent armed support unit. the members there now are only up for a few weeks from other areas in the country. a PR exercise by the government
Varadkar & Co. should ensure law and order prevails throughout the communities up and down the lenght of Ireland! Being selective in his stance when it’s publicity visable is not helping communities ravaged by drugs and criminal lowlifes thinking they own them! I won’t hold my breath!!
fine gael loved to be seen as the party of law& order you’ve only to go back to the 70s &the heavy gang or the 30s &the blueshirts but then they went &closed the Garda college &closed a rake of Garda stations so when I hear Leo& FG politicians going on about law &order all I can say to them is go &get fecked the whole lot of you between yourselves &the clowns of judges you’ve been a godsend to criminals
The law in Ireland is the old British law system. This is designed in such a way that laws only apply to keep poor people in line and if you are rich or well connected these same laws do not apply to you… you can easily bypass them.
I’m not surprised as to the carry on up there.
Pity the authorities didn’t nip this in the bud when it started rather than waiting till someone got hurt. Typical of Ireland though don’t do anything till its too late.
Great too see what should have been done in 2014 now being done 5 years 70 attacks and one torture session later.
The border counties have been like this for a 100 years, smuggling was a family business for people. So our government instead of having the resources after the GFA to go after these people, they close the stations.
The local Gardai are outnumber by the thugs and this happens. They just burnt down a station what is a local Garda going to do to stop that.
Then we get to this level and its a surprise to the ministers and their party.
Minister of Justice is from the border region so he must understand the issue.
They just have no figured a way to privatise the Gardai yet or have a Public Private Partnership deal on the issue. Which makes business money and the public suffer
Look in the Mirror body before you Commrnt
Just checked to see if you were an opposition TD
Wanted to help the gardai in the front lines but Eoghan murphy reminded me of my duty in the Dail, looking forward to the Dail bar! Love that we don’t have to boil our water haha.
Do you think that an election is to make any difference ?
He’s some yoke get his junior ministers to blame the gardai as he deprives then of the correct resources and rides in on his white horse – No money all needed to pay their Domnic Cummins right wing fascists advisors
He turned pale pissed and shit his boxers,nice way to go!
I’m behind on this story. What actually is the motivation behind these attacks?
Roll on election ??? Who everyone going to vote that make this huge difference ? Hate to say it but leo hasnt done such a bad job. And never thought i say that
‘Law and order must, and will, prevail’ – Leo Varadkar – except when it comes to politicians and the trough crew -fiddling expenses, insurance fraud, NCH blackhole, or whatever ye having yerself minister, go and shoot Leo with your pre-election populist rubbish
Well, in 1169, the Normans invaded Ireland.
Then…………….
@Chin Feeyin: Ha Ha, that was meant to be a reply to Vin.
Duh!
PR stunt as per usual
Knee jerk reaction by Garda management . There is no armed support unit set up in Cavan . Its armed support from other parts of the country redeployed temporarily on big money to look good while its in the media . No commitment by the government to a permanent unit
have your say