Tony Quinn (born 7 February 1946)
is an Irish businessman, yoga entrepreneur, mind coach and
Cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal ...
-leader who founded the Educo Cult.
Background
Quinn was born in
Arbour Hill
Arbour Hill ( ga, Cnoc an Arbhair) is an area of Dublin within the inner city on the Northside of the River Liffey, in the Dublin 7 postal district. Arbour Hill, the road of the same name, runs west from Blackhall Place in Stoneybatter, and se ...
in inner-city
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
.
Quinn left school early and was a salesman for
HB Ice Cream
HB Ice Cream (originally an initialisation of both Hughes Brothers and Hazelbrook Farm) is an ice cream brand in Ireland and is part of the Unilever Group's Heartbrand ice cream brand.
It manufactures most of the Heartbrand's ice cream range, as ...
. At 17 he was an apprentice butcher in
Phibsborough
Phibsborough (; ), also spelled Phibsboro, is a mixed commercial and residential neighbourhood on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland.
The Bradogue River crosses the area in a culvert, and the Royal Canal passes through its northern reaches, no ...
and then a bouncer at Club Go Go on Dame Street in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
.
Career
In the 1970s he established communes in
Templeogue
Templeogue () is a southwestern suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It lies between the River Poddle and River Dodder, and is about halfway from Dublin's centre to the mountains to the south.
Geography Location
The centre of Templeogue is from b ...
and
Howth
Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and include ...
where members were often on limited pay.
In 1978 the ''
News Of The World
The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'' confronted Quinn with his claims he could cure
Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...
. They made him aware of the
Cancer Act 1939
The Cancer Act 1939 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in 1939 to:
* make further provision for the treatment of cancer;
* to authorise the Minister of Health to lend money to the National Radium Trust;
* to prohibit certai ...
which states "No person shall take part in the publication of any advertisement containing an offer to treat any person for cancer." Quinn responded "I wasn't aware of that. It was a genuine mistake".
In 2006 a follower of Quinn who operated an Educogym in Glasgow repeated the assertion that Quinn could cure cancer.
Quinn has been variously described as a
yogi
A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 ...
, "fitness expert", "health guru", "
business guru
A business guru is a manager that can be defined as 'a person with influential ideas or theories about business'. The earliest use of the term business guru can be tracked back to the 1960s being used in ''Business Week''. There are no existing qu ...
", "mind trainer","mind coach", "saviour", "visionary", "hypnotist" and "cult leader".
He became well known in Ireland as a hypnotherapist and "mind trainer" for
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
Steve Collins
Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 1997. Known as the Celtic Warrior, Collins is the most successful male Irish boxer in recent professional boxing history, having held the WBO ...
before being sacked after 3 fights.
Collins told Sky Sports "We fooled the world", and also stated in his autobiography he said "We've fooled him", after his first fight with hypnotherapist Quinn as advisor. Collins later said of Quinn that he was someone who helped him on his way but he was inferior when compared to other hypnotists.
Educo is categorised as a "Human Potential Group" and "Therapy / Counseling Group" by the
Cult Education Institute
Rick Alan Ross (b. 1952) is an American deprogrammer, cult specialist, and founder and executive director of the nonprofit Cult Education Institute. He frequently appears in the news and other media discussing groups some consider cults. Ross h ...
.
In 2009 ''
Sunday World'' journalist
Nicola Tallant
Nicola Tallant (born 1974) is an Irish investigative journalist, specialising in organised crime. She is known for her work at the '' Sunday World''.
Background
Tallant studied at the College of Commerce, Rathmines in the 1990s, graduating wit ...
reported on the contents of video footage obtained by the newspaper of an Educo Seminar and stated "In the tape Quinn claims that he is able to programme children to ensure they have a much better future, claiming he uses the same techniques that
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
used to programme children to carry out acts of genocide and
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
use to create suicide bombers from kindergarten children." The ''Sunday World'' stated on the tape Quinn says "Children, if you realise, are almost like sponge. Their minds are sensitive and you can put programmes into children’s minds"
In 2009 the ''Sunday World'' reported that
Mike Garde, who had campaigned against Cults in Ireland, had been issued a death-threat by a Cult in Ireland. In September 2009
Dialogue Ireland published an article that indicated it was Quinn himself that issued the death-threat.
Yoga Communes
June Levine
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in t ...
visited a Templeogue commune in 1974 where she stayed one night with 36 followers who told her they believed they were reincarnated with Quinn from the time of
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
; one follower believed himself to be the reincarnation of
Saint Joseph
Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...
.
One 21 year old orphan follower had completed a 40-day water fast and weighed 5½ stone (35 kg) and had stopped menstruating. The fast was to reconnect with God, but "not the God of religion but to the Energy that is the life force." She explained that not menstruating she had no impurities in her body. When Levine challenged Quinn on this he responded "The yoga diet of fruit or fasting improves the body so much it becomes clean. There are no impurities to be drained away".
Levine described how commune members David and Aideen Cowman had put their baby on a diet without milk, instead receiving "bone meal tablets and halibut oil".
Later that year it was reported a lady who moved to the Templeogue commune and studied Quinn's form of
Yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-conscio ...
became disinterested in her children and developed an obsession with the
Essenes
The Essenes (; Hebrew: , ''Isiyim''; Greek: Ἐσσηνοί, Ἐσσαῖοι, or Ὀσσαῖοι, ''Essenoi, Essaioi, Ossaioi'') were a mystic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st ce ...
religion. On returning from the commune she required psychiatric care and refused one of her children milk in any form. Quinn was questioned by ''
Sunday World'' about his form of Yoga which he explained was different to the
Yoga Sutras
The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). The ...
.
Templeogue commune members wrote to the Sunday World saying the article was not fair in what was described as "an avalanche of letters" and were noted that "the similarity of their content is rather remarkable". The letters claimed the lady, who stayed at the commune for 10 days, was "mentally disturbed before she went" to the commune and there was no consistent explanation as to why she was allowed to stay.
One letter claimed many psychiatrists recommended Tony Quinn's Yoga for similar cases.
A photostat of a letter written by a commune member named Sean Nolan was in circulation and claimed "The classes were unique. And Tony was unique. He was taught by no man, followed no teacher, for he was born with certain abilities which made all of this unnecessary."
The letter described how people like
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
,
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially re ...
and
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invent ...
attributed their creations to a greater intelligence that Quinn possessed, and that "
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
,
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...
and other great masters of the past" used this intelligence. The letter stated that in the world was only one man who could "practice this meditation at its perfect level – Tony Quinn".
The letter went on "he seems to be transformed into light as the aura vanishes and the outline of his body becomes indefinite". The letter later claimed Quinn could heal the sick and cast out evil spirits.
In 1977 the ''
Evening Press
The ''Evening Press'' was an Irish newspaper which was printed from 1954 until 1995. It was set up by Éamon de Valera's Irish Press group, and was originally edited by Douglas Gageby. Its principal competitor was the ''Evening Herald'', which h ...
'' reported on the disappearance of two members of the Howth commune of 34 members living together for 4 years. The commune's library contained books on Occult, "How To" books", Health and Fitness, Factual, Religious, Classic and Astrology subjects. Quinn himself did not live in the commune. When asked about the finances Quinn responded "Everybody thinks I am making a fortune".
Quinn addressed the claims that families have been broken by his influence, "People say We break up families — but the opposite should be the case". When asked about the high costs he responded "Our ambition would be to give classes for nothing. But it seems people don't attend in the same way, as when they pay for them."
Martin and Margaret Forde, both long time followers of Quinn, were seen at the Templeogue commune in 1974
and Martin was seen at the Howth commune in 1977.
Educo Model
During an early seminar Quinn held in 1994 he revealed thoughts on his purpose. He spoke about how he did not know if he was starting a cult, and how he felt his purpose could be to work with millions of people. His stated he required followers to submit totally to him and to not resist. He talked about being able to determine the thoughts you have, likening them to computer programs that together form a personality that is not yourself.
Quinn teaches his Educo Model on the ten-day remote overseas seminars which the Educo World website states offers the following results within a statistical-sample:
* An increase of turnover of 62% in the first year, 108% and the second year, 190% in the third year; a total of 360%.
* Average income to increase 88% each year, a total of 264% over 3 years.
* Achieving goals 67% increase over 3 years.
* A 32% average life satisfaction increase after 3 to 6 months. Measured as 55% after 3 years.
Quinn's Educo Model incorporated the
Ten percent of the brain myth
The 10 percent of the brain myth states that humans generally use only 10 percent (or some other small percentage) of their brains. It has been misattributed to many celebrated people of science and history, notably Albert Einstein. By extrapola ...
which suggests we do not use all of our brain which was disputed by Ciarán Benson, a professor of psychology at
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
who said Quinn's claims were "simplistic in the extreme and without any acceptable research".
Quinn has said “now it's sometimes said to be as little as 1-3%" with regard to usage of the human-brain and has likened the mind to a computer which has been ruined by "thought programmes".
Quinn promotes his concept of "Unconscious Attention" where it's possible to replace the programming of the mind to increase a person's potential. "If you want something, believe that you have it without any inner doubt and it will come about" he said.
With "Unconscious Attention" you can reach a state where you will be 100 times more aware and you can then "photograph" your goal which you will then achieve effortlessly or install a new mind programme.
Professor Ian Robertson, Professor of Psychology at
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, dismissed the concept of "Unconscious Attention" saying he did not think it would be recognised by brain or cognitive scientists. He reinforced the fallacy of the
Ten percent of the brain myth
The 10 percent of the brain myth states that humans generally use only 10 percent (or some other small percentage) of their brains. It has been misattributed to many celebrated people of science and history, notably Albert Einstein. By extrapola ...
saying we used all of our brains most of the time.
Quinn's theories were described as primitive by Professor Ciarán Benson, saying Quinn's abilities lay in "identifying such peoples needs and distresses rather than on any scientific or theoretical understanding of contemporary human psychology", adding Quinn had a "banal and superficial understanding of psychology or of other human beings."
He described Quinn's metaphor of the "thought programme" as "very misleading", adding in Quinn's talk he would move "from one crude metaphor to another", before adding "These metaphors have no defensible relationship to a scientific or philosophical understanding of human psychology".
In 2012 it was reported that employees of
BoyleSports
BoyleSports is an Irish gambling company founded in 1982. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. Headquartered in Dundalk, the business is split into two divisions, online and retail. Ret ...
were made to attend compulsory
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from Sati (Buddhism), ''sati'', a significant ...
training-courses held by Georgina Dolan, an associate of Quinn. The courses promoted the Educo Model which upset many employees forced to attend these courses. A circular sent to staff said "When people's minds are occupied by fear, anger, jealousy, blame, conspiracy, suspicion and other negative emotions, their clarity of thought and mental and physical agility is degraded, leading to lower quality of work".
Educo Seminar
The seminars incorporate guided meditations; speaking to attendees Quinn would describe a visualisation of wealth to which the attendees would respond with ecstatic vigour. Attendees would be offered CDs of guided-meditations and be encouraged to listen daily when at home. Quinn would often repeat the need for attendees to recommend the seminars to others for attendees to achieve success on their return.
Investigative journalist
Frank Parlato
Frank Parlato Jr. (born April 25, 1955) is an American publisher and a known felon. He publishes the ''Frank Report'', ''Artvoice'' and the ''Niagara Falls Reporter''. Parlato is widely credited for bringing attention to the NXIVM cult when he pu ...
, who also covered the American sex cult of
NXIVM
NXIVM () is the name commonly used to describe the personality cult of imprisoned Racketeering, racketeer and sex offender Keith Raniere. NXIVM is also the trademarked name of the defunct corporation that Raniere founded, which provided semina ...
, summed up “Unconscious Attention®,” which Quinn claims is the core of his Educo seminars; "Quinn
laimedhis 'mind technology' would increase a student’s 'life force'
r Qi
R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irel ...
raise their consciousness and deepen their life experience.
"He taught that by increasing 'life force,' a person becomes happier, healthier, and more successful.
"He taught that people must tap into the 'innate mental capacity and power' of the unconscious mind to increase life force. This allows them to use more of their mind to achieve their highest potential and transform into 'Super You.'
"Ten-day seminars cost $20,000. After learning preliminary 'mind technology,' students can advance to the “Mind Masters” course, which costs $50,000."
An attendee of a seminar told of attendees spending hours flailing on the floor, and of
Folie imposée __NOTOC__
Folie or Folies may refer to:
Places
* Condé-Folie, commune in the Picardie region of France
* Fains-la-Folie, commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France
* Folies, commune in the Somme département in the Picardie reg ...
(jumping around whilst seeing and pointing to lights coming out of the sea when there were none) under the instruction of Quinn.
In 2005 The Sunday Times sent in an undercover reporter to a London invitation-only event where it was revealed Educo, Quinn's life-system, planned to expand in the United Kingdom and also offer it's form of hypnotherapy to children. The Educo Seminars operated like a pyramid-selling scheme and the reporter was encouraged to borrow to pay for the two-week seminar fee of £12,000. About 70 people would attend each seminar held in locations such as Egypt and the Bahamas, and were offered weekly "top-up" sessions.
A £15,000 seminar fee would generate £2,000 for the person who made the introduction; if the newcomer recruited someone else the introducer would receive a further £1,000.
A second journalist was also encouraged to borrow, using their credit-card, the £12,000 fee to attend an Educo Seminar in an Educogym in Glasgow in 2006. When the journalist said she was worried to about getting into debt the Educogym owner told them some attendees had remortgaged their house to pay the seminar fee. The owner of the Gym told the reporter how Quinn healed attendees of the seminar, claiming he had "cured people of cancer and all sorts of things."
A third journalist was urged to borrow £15,000 from a bank or credit-union under the premise of borrowing for a car, and to not worry as the "money could be made back easily".
Professor Patricia Casey, Professor of Psychiatry at the
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal an Mater Misercordiae), commonly known as the Mater ( "matter"), is a major teaching hospital, based at Eccles Street, Phibsborough, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is managed ...
. said the costs of the seminar were at least 12 times that offered within Psychiatric circles, adding half the population would be entitled to free treatment with the
Medical card
A medical card is a personal document issued by the Republic of Ireland in the form of a plastic card issued to residents of Ireland who are entitled to free or reduced-rate medical treatment. Those eligible fall below a certain income tax thresho ...
. Sean Collins, president of the Irish Institute For Counselling and Hypnotherapy, questioned the inflated costs saying world-class trainers in this field charged at least 15 times less.
Professor Casey said the seminars did not teach people how to think positively, rather it told them to think positively without giving them any skills to achieve positive thinking, such as learning how to solve problems and find solutions. Professor Casey talked about the conformity experienced in seminar group sessions and how "people might well feel a great sense of emptiness and let down" on their return home.
Sean Collins spoke of how conditioning from the seminars could put attendees at risk of something akin to the
Dunning–Kruger effect
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias whereby people with low ability, expertise, or experience regarding a certain type of task or area of knowledge tend to overestimate their ability or knowledge. Some researchers also include in th ...
, adding that he had met attendees of the seminars who could not produce any substantive results and only enthusiastic anecdotes.
Between 2–8 October 2006 Quinn hosted a 7-day Educo Seminar attended by the
Cabinet of Belize
The National Assembly, which is the Legislature of Belize, consists of three bodies: the Governor-General, the Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes fro ...
, populated by the
People's United Party
The People's United Party (PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2020 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean House ...
, on
Caye Chapel which was paid for by "friends of the party".
In 2009
Dialogue Ireland was said to have worked with 300 people who were dissatisfied with their experiences of Quinn. The Sunday Times claimed differing views of Quinn's seminar business by seminar attendees, from an expensive personal-development course to him overseeing a manipulative overpriced mind-altering scheme.
Dialogue Ireland staged the first protest outside of a Dublin free invitation-only 1-day-seminar in January 2009.
Four
RTE Liveline
''Liveline'' is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks t ...
broadcasts in the week before the 1-day-seminar were broadcast with calls critical of Quinn and his seminar with callers alluding Educo was, as reported by the
Irish Independent
The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis.
The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines.
Traditionally a broadsheet n ...
, a "cult". Quinn later complained about media coverage of his Educo seminar saying "It's a witch-hunt. It has upset an awful lot of good people and it could do damage to people's reputations and livelihoods." He continued "What I charge is really in the same ballpark as other people at the top of this league, people like
Anthony Robbins
Anthony Jay Robbins (né Mahavoric, born February 29, 1960) is an American author, coach, speaker, and philanthropist. He is known for his infomercials, seminars, and self-help books including the books ''Unlimited Power'' and ''Awaken the Gia ...
. I do most of my seminar work in the Bahamas and Monte Carlo now. I help people achieve goals in their life and work continuously with people."
Quinn reportedly complained to the
Broadcasting Complaints Commission in Ireland about
Joe Duffy
Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of ''Liveline'', an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on R ...
's Liveline show.
It was later revealed in 2012 that
Sunday World had seen a "military-style intelligence file" on Joe Duffy, paid for by International Natural Energy and produced by Henrima Ltd., "alleging he is a member of religious group '
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work a ...
'".
In 2010 the fees for the Educo Seminar were reportedly dropped by 66% to €6000 in the hope of increasing attendance which had slumped due to negative publicity and as a "face-saving" exercise.
Introductory events for the Educo Seminar were held in London as recently as May 2020 with long-term members of Educo "Manj & Alex Weerasekera".
Ex-followers who have spoken out have been publicly shamed.
Journalist
Anna Nolan
Anna Nolan (born 16 October 1970) is an Irish television presenter, producer and former business manager, waitress and Irish international basketball player. She has presented numerous television programmes in Ireland and the UK.
Early life
Wh ...
wrote how ex-followers were afraid to speak of their experience.
International Natural Energy
Quinn was once a director and shareholder of energy company International Natural Energy (INE) in
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...
.
In 2011, his holdings in the company were worth approximately €18 million. He was reportedly given shares by the company's directors after using his "mind technology" skills to assist them in finding oil.
Mr Justice Bannister ruled in 2012 that Quinn's appointment to the board was "plainly invalid" and that there was a "serious question" over his allotment of shares.
INE was founded by Sheila McCaffrey. Paul Marriott, Jean Cornec, Mike Usher and
Susan Morrice
Susan Morrice (born 1952) is a geologist, explorer, and entrepreneur located in Denver. She is a long time promoter of "cult-like" Educo. She received a MoD degree in geology from Trinity College Dublin. She is the first woman/person to have fou ...
. 90% of the company's investors were Irish attendees of Quinn's Educo seminars. Over 300 investors bought between €40,000 and €200,000 of shares.
In 2010, his estimated worth was €50 million.
In November 2007, 40 days after Quinn hosted a 7-day Educo Seminar for the
Cabinet of Belize
The National Assembly, which is the Legislature of Belize, consists of three bodies: the Governor-General, the Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes fro ...
on
Caye Chapel,
the
House of Representatives (Belize)
The House of Representatives of Belize is one of two chambers of the National Assembly, the other being the Senate. It was created under the 1981 constitution. Members are commonly called "Area Representatives."
Area Representatives are elect ...
passed the Income Tax on Petroleum Companies Bill, previously blocked by the
Senate (Belize), with 2 amendments; a 40% income tax paid retroactively to January 2006 instead of March and paid in U.S. dollars. Opposition leader
Dean Barrow
Dean Oliver Barrow, SC PC (born March 2, 1951) is a politician from Belize who served as prime minister of Belize from 2008 until 2020 and as leader of Belize's United Democratic Party.
An attorney by profession, Barrow served as Belize' ...
said "What has been proposed, what has been passed, is far from fair to the Belizean people."
During the 2009 AGM for INE photographs of an ex-follower. who later sued Quinn for "assault and battery; allegedly obtaining money by false pretences; alleged fraudulent misrepresentation, intentional or careless infliction of mental suffering and suborning", and her teenage son were projected onto large screens. Quinn is reported to have adopted a "Messianic pose" and warned shareholders to not talk to journalists.
In 2012 Sunday World revealed this ex-follower had been included in an intelligence-report paid for by INE and produced by Henrima Ltd.
In January 2011 Quinn was ordered by the
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nev ...
to purchase Marriott's shares in INE and found in breach of his fiduciary duties to INE in a case against Quinn, Morrice and INE. Quinn was ordered to pay costs for the action. Marriott expressed a hope INE would dissociate with Quinn and recover damages by him against shareholders.
A row within INE and subsidiary Belize Natural Energy (BNE) was reported ahead of the 2011 AGM of INE. Belize Prime Minister
Dean Barrow
Dean Oliver Barrow, SC PC (born March 2, 1951) is a politician from Belize who served as prime minister of Belize from 2008 until 2020 and as leader of Belize's United Democratic Party.
An attorney by profession, Barrow served as Belize' ...
urged BNE to ensure oil flow not be disrupted.
When the 3 March 2011 AGM was postponed at short notice, a group of investors held an emergency meeting where Marriott and McCaffrey spoke. McCaffrey said she was "practically destitute and penniless" since being removed as director. The meeting produced a petition calling for the appointment of a receiver for INE. INE had warned the group that the meeting was illegal. A member of Educo, Patricia Fitzpatrick, attempted to dissuade shareholders from attending the meeting and she was asked to leave when she attempted to attend the meeting as she was not a shareholder.
In April 2011 the
Cabinet of Belize
The National Assembly, which is the Legislature of Belize, consists of three bodies: the Governor-General, the Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes fro ...
finalised the petroleum contract for
Orange Walk District
Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town.
Main settlements
The Orange Walk District, with an area of 1,829 square miles (4,636 square km), is located north-northwe ...
to rival Maranco. Nevis, parent company for Maranco, was a shareholder in BNE. Maranco was affiliated with PR Marriott Drilling.
In 2012, McCaffrey brought a lawsuit against Quinn and INE, alleging corporate mismanagement.
The case was heard in the commercial division of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court which heard Quinn claim he had been followed for 2 years and feared he would be kidnapped and had asked INE for security; INE had paid $2 million in 2008-2010 on security and surveillance.
Quinn claimed that Dialogue Ireland published information about his movements. He agreed with counsel that since the 1970s he had issues with Dialogue Ireland considering Mike Garde as a crank who had no effect on him, until he became involved with INE. Frank Walwyn, lawyer for McCaffrey, said Quinn had been accused of being a Cult leader for a long time before INE.
The court heard that McCaffrey had been removed as Director of INE and her house was searched by Belize Police. She described the interim 5-year period as "a snapshot of the living hell". Quinn claimed a former-member, who was given permission by the
Irish High Court
The High Court ( ga, An Ard-Chúirt) of Ireland is a court which deals at first instance with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases. When sitting as a criminal court it is called the Central Criminal Court and sits with judg ...
to serve a summons by post for a civil-claim against him, and her son had attempted to blackmail him by revealing details of Educo's inner-workings to the press.
Quinn said he has a doctorate in clinical hypnotherapy when responding to questions if he had a PhD or called himself a doctor.
A loan-release scheme had paid Quinn $1.6 million and Morrice $1.15 million the court heard. Quinn earned an additional $1.2 million from oil company staff attending his Educo Seminar. Payments had been made to some shareholders but other shareholders applications to the loan-release scheme had been refused.
The court heard at the 2008 AGM photographs of McCaffrey and others had been projected onto large screens. Morrice denied $286,000 of shareholder money was paid to Henrima Ltd to put McCaffrey under surveillance and the funds were paid for counter-surveillance to understand who was providing information to journalists and posting to websites. Up to 8 former soldiers were hired to provide protection for Quinn. Morrice claimed this was under advice from people she asked who recommended she use a company used by
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her elect ...
. Robinson has claimed she never used private security when she was President.
It was revealed by ''Sunday World'' in 2012 that they had seen a document produced by Henrima Ltd paid for by INE that was a "military-style intelligence file on a number of individuals" including Lalor, McCaffey, Cornec, Joe Duffy, Mike Garde and Nicola Tallant.
A witness for INE changed her evidence when she revised her claim Morrice had given her one copy of the operating agreement of INE when she was in fact given two. Caroline Williams, a Dublin Barrister who had met Quinn in the 1970s at one of this Yoga classes and had attended 4 Educo Seminars, had been paid $904,000 since 2008 by INE. In 2008 she had refused she had a second document when requested by Cornec for a copy saying she had no INE document.
BNE Chief Executive Dr Gilbert Canton told the court 40 staff members had attended the beginners Educo Seminar paying Quinn's companies $718,000 for the seminars and an additional $665,000 for Belize Educogyms since 2007.
Mr Justice Bannister declined to dissolve the company or to order the company to purchase McCaffrey's shares, but granted a declaration that Quinn's appointment to the INE board was invalid and that McCaffrey's suspension from the INE board was invalid. In discussing the hiring of soldiers the judge said "Whatever may have been the need for some personal security, the expenditure was made in very large part for the purposes of Mr Quinn, who appears to have hired what amounted to a private army at the sole expense of INE".
In 2012 Sunday World revealed McCaffrey had been included in an intelligence-report paid for by INE and produced by Henrima Ltd.
Mr Justice Bannister described Quinn as "a highly controversial figure both in the Republic of Ireland and further afield. He runs what he calls Educo seminars, which people are persuaded to attend at very high cost." He described Quinn's unique business structure as "no more than advice to promote better employees in preference to inferior ones". A letter alleged to invite Quinn to accept a shareholding was described by the judge as a "clumsy forgery" and an "after-the-event concoction written in an unsuccessful attempt to legitimise the allotment".
In January 2012 Quinn was compelled by
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy of the
Irish High Court
The High Court ( ga, An Ard-Chúirt) of Ireland is a court which deals at first instance with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases. When sitting as a criminal court it is called the Central Criminal Court and sits with judg ...
to give video evidence in a case in the
United States District Court for the District of Colorado
The United States District Court for the District of Colorado (in case citations, D. Colo. or D. Col.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ap ...
brought by Cornec who claimed to not be paid fully the amount of $15 million for the sale of shares in INE to Morrice. Morrice counterclaimed that Cornec broke his contract with a campaign of disparagement against Quinn resulting in the loss of a $100 million investment from Dubai.
In July 2012 Mr Justice
Gerard Hogan
Gerard William Augustine Hogan, (born 13 August 1958) is an Irish judge, lawyer and academic who has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland since October 2021. He previously served as Advocate General of the European Court of Justice ...
ordered Sunday World journalist Nicola Tallant and Dialogue Ireland director Mike Garde to appear in United States District Court for the District of Colorado to give evidence in the case and adjourned for a month to allow them to apply the orders to be set aside. The court heard how both were "party to communications relevant to the Colorado proceedings." It was claimed Tallant could be urged to reveal the sources for her stories.
In September 2012 the
Irish High Court
The High Court ( ga, An Ard-Chúirt) of Ireland is a court which deals at first instance with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases. When sitting as a criminal court it is called the Central Criminal Court and sits with judg ...
ruled that Nicola Tallant and Mike Garde did not have to give evidence. Mr Justice Gerard Hogan set aside orders saying "if, as she maintains, Mr Quinn holds unorthodox religious views and is effectively the leader of a
religious cult which has used psychological techniques as a means of controlling gullible adherents, the media are entitled to educate public opinion in this regard."
In October 2012 a
BBC Spotlight
''BBC Spotlight'' is the BBC's regional TV news programme for the South West of England, covering Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, southern and western Somerset, western Dorset and the Channel Islands. There is also a special version of the p ...
programme on the subject of the McCaffrey v Morrice, Quinn and INE case was broadcast.
In February 2014
Charles Colville, 5th Viscount Colville of Culross
Charles Mark Townshend Colville, 5th Viscount Colville of Culross (born 5 September 1959), is a Scottish television producer, director and peer. He was educated at Rugby School and at St Chad's College, Durham. The son of Mark Colville, 4th V ...
spoke in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...
about the harassment endured by the team behind the programme, with hourly phone calls with threats of defamation and how after broadcast a libel writ issued was dropped after thousands of licence-fee payer funds were paid preparing a defence.
Morrice is the sole founder of INE to remain in position after Mike Usher died.
The BNE website has a link to the Educo World website on its website.
Educogym
Quinn established Educogym, a chain of gyms in Ireland and one in Belize.
The Educogym programme involves a
ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet is a high- fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate dietary therapy that in conventional medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than ca ...
, use of Quinn's
dietary supplements
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...
, and a "Time Machine" exercise device. Celebrity clients have included singer
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stu ...
, soprano
Cara O'Sullivan
Cara O'Sullivan (1962 – 26 January 2021) was an Irish coloratura soprano singer.
Background
O'Sullivan grew up in The Lough, Cork. Both of her parents and her grandparents on both sides were singers, though not professionally. She is survived ...
, and golfer
Darren Clarke
Darren Christopher Clarke, (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on ...
.
Educogym promotes the Educo Model.
Educogyms in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
have closed down.
In 2009 Dr. Crionna Tobin, a PhD student under
Dublin City University
Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland, university based on the Northside, Dublin, Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Cre ...
's Professor Niall Moyna. stated the diet promoted by Educogym would make those undertaking it feel sick, saying it would starve the body. forcing it to operate only on fat, adding that the brain required carbohydrates. Educogym's head of marketing. Jamie Myerscough, said the diet programme was supported by university research but admitted to have never seen the research.
In 2010 the
Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland
The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) is the self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for advertising industry in Ireland. The 7th edition of its code was introduced with effect from March 2016. It has a Complaints Committee to deal wi ...
upheld complaints about an advertisement featuring Educo member Ms Ashika Shah stating she had lost 31 pounds using a Quinn weight-loss programme. The authority was also critical of advertisements claiming supplements were available for arthritis, eczema and psoriasis.
In 2015, Educogym was censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) for advertising a programme to lose 14 pounds in 12 days. The ASAI upheld the complaint that the advertisement "was misleading, as it was unsafe to suggest this weight could be lost in such a short time". The advertisement was withdrawn.
In 2022, currently there is an Educogym operating in the capital city of Belmopan, Belize.
Religious following
The Tony Quinn Centre in Dublin offers prayers to be said by Quinn or his associate Aideen Cowman for a subscription of €30 per month.
His operation has been described as a
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal ...
.
Journalist
June Levine
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in t ...
stated that his followers "believe they are reincarnated with him from past lives at the time of Christ." Former devotees have described him as a "master of stagecraft" and stated that they "believed that he was Jesus Christ".
Followers are asked by Quinn to kiss his feet; an ex-follower told how members would "jump around, fall off their chairs or flap about on the floor".
In 2009 the ''
Sunday World'' reported that Quinn has claimed a number of his followers are the reincarnation of biblical figures; Tom McKenna (partner of Quinn's business manager Collette Millea) is the reincarnation of
Moses, Margaret Forde is the reincarnation of the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
and Mary Power, who "cooks, cleans and works as a personal assistant to Tony, monitoring and sifting through his e-mails and post to sort positive from negative – dumping anything critical", is the reincarnation of
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and
resurr ...
.
In 2010, it was reported that, a former follower, Maire Lalor, sued Quinn in the Irish High Court for alleged sexual assault and fraud. Human Potential Research Ltd, based in Jersey, was also issued a summons.
She has stated she believed Quinn was
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
.
Lalor's civil action alleged "assault and battery; allegedly obtaining money by false pretences; alleged fraudulent misrepresentation, intentional or careless infliction of mental suffering and suborning". In testimony in the McCaffrey lawsuit in 2012, Quinn claimed that Lalor was blackmailing him
but it was reported 3 years prior, in 2009, during an AGM for International Natural Energy, photographs of Lalor and her son had been projected onto large screen.
In September 2012, ''Sunday World'' revealed this ex-follower had been included in an intelligence-report paid for by INE and produced by Henrima Ltd.
Director
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish playwright and filmmaker.
Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed two critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, '' My Left Foot'' and '' In the Name of the Father'', and later directed the fi ...
told the ''
Sunday Tribune
The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to t ...
'' he met with Quinn to discuss Quinn's screenplay at Quinn's
Malahide
Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of over 17,000.
Malahide Castle dates from th ...
home. Sheridan said Quinn told him about a vision he had where he was walking on sand and he followed some "Middle eastern people" to the top of a hill where he saw thousands of people listen to Jesus speak "but then he realised it was him".
Personal life
Quinn moved to
The Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the arc ...
in the 1990s where he lives on
Paradise Island
Paradise Island is an island in The Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of (2.8 km2/1.1 sq mi), is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island o ...
.
His most recent girlfriend Amelie Hattingh (born ca. 1986, 42-years his junior) changed her name to "Eve" after she was introduced to him, having been recruited through his Educo Seminar scheme. Quinn was heard to say "Eve. I presume" when introduced to the new recruit.
Hattingh was 19 when she was presented to Quinn, then aged 61, by a follower of Educo and Educo Seminar recruiter in 2005.
Hattingh has not been seen publicly with Quinn since 2014.
Quinn also has a
Martello tower
Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
They stand u ...
house in Malahide, Dublin, and a property on
Hamhaugh Island
Hamhaugh Island is an island, historically known simply as Stadbury, in the River Thames in England south of Shepperton Lock, in Shepperton, Surrey.
Position
The island is at the southernmost point of the River Thames. The garden-lined souther ...
, Surrey.
References
External links
The official EDUCO websiteDialogue Ireland's "Tony Quinn & Educo" sectionA ‘Cult’ Similar to NXIVM? –A Man Similar to Raniere — Meet Tony Quinn of EDUCO* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101212104625/http://www.factnet.org/discus/messages/6/1812.html "Tony Quinn/Human Potential Resource - Educo & Mind Masters Seminars" FactNet Cult Forum (November 2004 - May 2007)]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Tony
1946 births
Cult leaders
Cults
Living people
Irish business executives
Deified people