GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING an arson attack at the home of a senior manager of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH).

The car of Tony Lunney’s daughter was set alight outside the family’s home in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, at about 11.20pm yesterday.

Two fire crews and gardaí attended the scene, preventing the fire from spreading further. Gardaí said no injuries were reported and investigations are ongoing.

It’s understood the incident could be linked to two other recent arson attacks on properties linked to QIH – one on a car at the home of Chief Financial Officer Dara O’Reilly in Butlersbridge earlier this month and another on 31 August at a tyre factory in Co Cavan which is owned by a senior manager of QIH.

Commenting on the situation, QIH CEO Liam McCaffrey said: “It is grossly unacceptable that criminals who threaten the lives and wellbeing of staff on both sides of the border continue to operate with impunity.

“It is also enormously frustrating that following years of intimidation and threats and a substantial escalation of violence over recent months that not a single arrest has been made.”

‘Lives could be lost’ 

McCaffrey called on politicians and the authorities on both sides of the border to “properly prioritise and resource this issue, as they have with gangland and paramilitary crime in other areas”, otherwise “lives will be lost”.

McCaffrey said QIH’s 830-plus employees and their families as well as the wider community are “impacted by this violence and intimidation” and “in urgent need of reassurance that this issue is being taken seriously”.

QIH was established in 2014 and comprises elements of Seán Quinn’s former businesses.

Quinn was once the richest person in Ireland, but lost control of his business empire after making a significant investment in the now defunct Anglo Irish Bank. He was declared bankrupt in 2012.

Quinn briefly worked as a consultant for QIH before leaving the role in 2016.