Leona Maguire has paid tribute to Sean Quinn for the impact he had on her golfing career.
The 27-year-old world No.11 has had the season of her life, but admits that she wouldn’t be playing golf if it wasn’t for controversial businessman Quinn.
Maguire believes she owes her career to Quinn having honed her skills from an early age in golf alongside her sister Lisa at the Slieve Russell resort which he built.
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The businessman, 75, has been back in the spotlight after RTE’s recent documentary series ‘Quinn country,’ detailing his role in the Irish financial crisis 15 years ago.
“To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be playing golf if it wasn’t for Sean Quinn,” said Maguire, a native of Ballyconnell in Co Cavan, like Quinn, where he is still widely respected for the creation of thousands of jobs in the area.
“If the Slieve Russell wasn’t there I wouldn’t be playing golf. I know the documentary and all the rest, people have their opinions but I will say that.”
“Where I’m from, you saw in the documentary ‘the lights went out in the mountain,’ he had the foresight to build Slieve Russell.
“If it wasn’t for Slieve Russell and the vision of Sean Quinn, both myself and Lisa wouldn’t be playing golf.”
Formerly Ireland’s richest man, cement magnate Quinn invested heavily in the doomed Anglo Irish Bank and eventually winded up owing the bank €3 billion.
In 2011, both the bank and his business empire collapsed. The collapse of Quinn insurance resulted in a 2 per cent levy being applied to all insurance policies in Ireland in order to cover €1.65 billion in losses. To this day, that levy is still in place.
The Fermanagh man’s reputation was tarnished by these events and in 2012, he spent nine weeks in Mountjoy Prison for contempt of court.
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