IRISH INDEPENDENT Tony Quinn firm racks up loss of €1m
Monday October 3rd 2005

SELF-STYLED mind guru Tony Quinn, who claims that his techniques can double revenues for clients, has seen his health retail empire rack up losses of almost €1m.

It appears that as losses mount at his company, Tony Quinn Health Centres Ltd, it could fail to meet the qualified hypnotherapist's own exacting standards.

In his promotional literature, Mr Quinn claims that he has carried out a study that proves he can "on average" double revenues in companies who follow his teachings over three years.

However, with a deficiency of assets of €276,000 during the year to the end of October 2004, Mr Quinn's company appears to be lagging well behind average.

TQHC is ultimately controlled by Baringo Trading, a Jersey, Channel Islands-based entity.

Mr Quinn is not listed as a director of the company he founded. Its three directors are: Jersey-based accountant Bernard Le Claire, Malaga-based consultant Joseph Savage, and long-standing follower Wicklow's Tom McKenna.

TQHC is just one of many sources of revenue for multimillionaire Mr Quinn, who makes most of his money through running seminars abroad.

The former apprentice butcher and mind-coach to boxer Steve Collins, turned lifestyle entrepreneur, is currently running a two-week seminar on the up-market island of Capri, off Italy.

Participants pay €18,500 a pop for a two-week course, and are promised daily five-hour long sessions with Mr Quinn.

They can also expect various other things for the price of a down payment on a one-bed apartment, including notebooks "full of life-changing information" and a personalised CD conducted by Mr. Quinn.

He recently has been pushing into the UK with seminars promising people "the life of their dreams", and the ability to improve their children's memories by following his mind programmes.

Down the years, Mr Quinn has build up a raft of glowing testimonies from attendees of his seminars, including Boyle Sports managing director John Boyle who hooked up with Mr Quinn through his centre in Dundalk, Co Louth.

However, Mr. Quinn has also attracted criticism such as from UCD psychologist Ciaran Benson, who said some of his claims were "simplistic in the extreme", and cult-watchers Dialogue Ireland which has questioned some of his practices.

Tom Lyons