I got a very strong sense of déjá vu the other night as I watched  Vincent Browne’s interview with Sean Quinn.
Mr Quinn seemed totally blind to the broad picture and it seemed that everybody he had dealt with over the last few years had acted ‘illegally’ and against his and his family’s
interests.
He just couldn’t see that there was anything wrong with squirrelling away money and assets and leaving the ordinary hard-pressed people of this country to pick up the pieces.
He seemed to have a clear understanding of law and legal issues when it came to justifying his actions but steadfastly refused to understand how it was possible that any asset for which no money was borrowed directly could possibly be regarded as collateral for a loan for anything else.  It’s a good job he wasn’t a pawnbroker, I thought.
How all this will benefit the Quinn family, however, is a mystery to me because, even if their argument is correct and accepted by the courts, it seems to me that all that will mean is that the lending/borrowing contract was void from the beginning and the money will have to be returned anyway.
Seán Quinn’s stubbornness in refusing to see the logic of Vincent Browne’s questions was reminiscent of the couple of thousand people who turned up at a march held the week before in Ballyconnell to show support for the Quinn family.
It was attended by Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, former Meath manager Seán Boylan, player and pundit Colm O’Rourke and Fr Brian D’Arcy, to name but a few.  They addressed the crowds, estimated at up to 4,000. A letter of support was read out from RyanAir boss
Michael O’Leary and in the days after, former GAA president Seán Kelly added “an expression of moral support” for a family who had always been loyal to the association.  He said the Quinns had never forgotten their roots and had always committed to the GAA financially and in terms of their time.
The GAA, Mr Kelly said, had not sanctioned the rally as an official protest but it was a show of support “for our own” and was about
standing behind those in trouble locally.  Was that the ultimate parochialism?
The strong presence of GAA personalities was most interesting but one wonders what exactly they hoped to achieve.  Did they want the
government to step in and interfere with the judicial process?  Did they hope to interfere with the judges and the courts dealing with the Quinn issues?
Either way, it would be highly irregular and entirely unconstitutional.  The rally was to show support for the Quinns but I certainly did not read exactly what those who organized it and spoke at it wanted people to do.
I wonder was a collection box handed around to collect a few euro for Mr Quinn’s children who, he claimed to Vincent Browne, are now on the dole, despite they being allowed to receive 30,000 per month between them for “living expenses”.
Of course, Seán Quinn brought many jobs and great success to Cavan and surrounding areas and it is entirely understandable that  local people should be grateful to and wish to be supportive of one of their own to whom they owed so much.
I would have no difficulty in people saying to the family how sorry they are and offering their help in a practical way.
I did feel sorry for them, I hate to see people fall, but their arrogance and stubbornness is quickly changing that.
I have always been a supporter of the GAA and have defended it from unfair criticism.  I even abhor the use of the phrase ‘the gaa’ (putting the three initials together as if they are one word) because I see it as disrespectful of an organisation that has done more over the years for the people of this country (especially the youth) than any other; and that includes the churches.
I am left now somewhat disillusioned by these prominent GAA personalities getting involved in the Quinn affair.