Fairies destroyed Ireland’s richest man say neighbors

Moving a local historic fort brought him bad luck and bankruptcy

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Sean Quinn, formerly Ireland's richest man

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Sean Quinn’s dramatic fall from grace as Ireland’s richest man is down to the fairies – and his decision to move a megalithic tomb, according to a neighbor.

Now down to just $15,000 in his bank account, Quinn has lost a business empire worth billions and is officially bankrupt.

Experts believe his decision to gamble on Anglo Irish Bank shares brought about his financial downfall.

But one neighbor in the Cavan town of Ballyconnell believes that Quinn’s problems can be traced back to his removal of a megalithic burial tomb 20 years ago.

Publican Toirbhealach Lyons believes Quinn’s $8billion empire was doomed when he interfered with the Wedge Tomb which had stood for 4,000 years in the Aughrim townland, two miles outside Ballyconnell.

Quinn Concrete applied to move the tomb in 1992 as they expanded a massive quarry.

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The Aughrim Wedge Tomb was moved stone by stone to its current resting place in the grounds of Quinn’s Slieve Russell hotel, also in Ballyconnell.

“I’m a big supporter of Sean Quinn because of what he has done for this area but that tomb should never have been moved,” Lyons, the owner of Molly Maguire’s pub in Ballyconnell, told the Irish Independent.

“There would be a lot of people who would think you could never have any luck after moving an ancient tombstone.”

University of Ulster folklore expert Seamus MacFlionn told the paper that such beliefs are common.
“Cavan is full of ancient sites like these and therefore many people there would be more superstitious about moving any ancient rath, tomb or fairy tree,” said MacFlionn.

“People do genuinely believe that to do so brings bad luck. It’s part of our ancient Irish history.”

Ballyconnell butcher Gerard Crowe refuses to buy into Lyons; theory however. “It’s a load of auld rubbish, simple as that,” Crowe told the Independent.

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