OVER 5,000 PEOPLE – and possibly as many as 10,000 – are reported to have turned out for a rally in support of Seán Quinn and his family in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan this afternoon.
Quinn and his wife Patricia led a march in the town, alongside with several of their children.
Ciara Quinn told the crowd that she and her siblings were the ‘true and rightful owners’ of the Quinn companies, some of which have been sold off by administrators while others have been put into liquidation.
“This is a war,” Ciara Quinn said, according to tweets from reporters at the event. “We will not go quietly into the night.”
Irish Times reporter Áine McMahon tweeted that the rally was also addressed by Donegal Gaelic football selector and former Cavan player Rory Gallagher, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, and businessman George Emerson.
The Garda press office declined to give an estimate of the numbers present, but RTÉ News cited local Gardaí as saying ‘at least 5,000′ people had shown up for the event. Reporters at the scene later put the estimate at closer to 10,000.
Concerned Irish Citizens, a group organising the rally, says the event is seeking “natural justice for the Quinn family and the citizens of Ireland”.
The group says claims the vast majority of the €2.3 billion that the Quinns are said to owe IBRC, formerly Anglo Irish Bank, was illegally loaned and the family cannot be held responsible for its recovery.
The rally comes five days before Seán Quinn senior, who was found in contempt of court earlier this year, is due back at the High Court for a further hearing.
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