Seán Quinn has lost his fortune; now he appears to have lost his people

DURING the week, two executives of Quinn Industrial Holdings said the border region was “perilously close” to becoming lawless. During the Troubles, the region was pretty lawless, or so it appeared when novelist Colm Toibin met Seán Quinn in 1987.

Toibin was walking along the border, a journey that he and photographer Tony O’Shea documented in the book, Bad Blood: A Walk Along The Irish Border. On their travels, they encountered blown-up bridges, communities living in fear, and British soldiers on patrol, some fearful, others intent on instilling fear. And then, Seán Quinn, a local hero.