Campaigner says walk to Stormont was for the future of his children

In the week marking two years since the collapse of the power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland, the father-of-four completed a 90 mile protest walk to Stormont from his hometown of Enniskillen on the afternoon of Monday, January 7.

Mr. Quinn was accompanied by his wife and four children as he walked up the hill to Stormont. “I was determined to walk up with my family because for me it was about the future of my children,” said Mr. Quinn.

He continued: “I could feel myself getting annoyed as I was walking up to Stormont because I felt that we were trying to do something positive for what’s coming forward in the future and the house at the top of the hill isn’t offering anything positive at the moment, it’s not providing us with any leadership or any vision for the future.”

In the lead up to the walk, Mr. Quinn had nominated the 90 MLAs to each walk a mile of the journey with him. When asked if any of the politicians had joined him, Mr. Quinn said: “I think we had five or six MLAs join us along the way. It was majorly the Alliance party that joined us, a couple of Ulster Unionists and I know two DUP MLAs joined near Stormont.”

He added: “The idea of them walking with us was symbolic in them moving forward but it was also about having conversations as we walked.”

Telling the Impartial Reporter that the general reaction to his walk was “overwhelmingly very positive” Mr. Quinn added: “We always have a few naysayers and people who will say that it’s going to be ineffective but actually along the route I don’t think we got any negativity at all. There was a lovely community feeling about wanting to engage in this.”

Commenting on claims that his protest walk was just a publicity stunt, Mr. Quinn said: “It’s difficult to respond to it because I can only say clearly it’s not. It’s had an impact on social media, it’s had an impact on media. That would not have happened had we not done it.”

He continued: “And that’s what it’s about, it’s to get the message out that this is not normal. So people can criticise it for being a stunt but it’s had the impact of getting the message out there and if they are going to criticise me for standing up in order to call to account people who are, I feel, stealing my children’s future, then fine, they can say whatever they want about me because I will stand up for my children first and foremost.”

When asked by the Impartial Reporter if she thinks Mr. Quinn’s walk to Stormont will have an impact on the reforming of the Executive, Democratic Unionist Party Leader and Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Arlene Foster said:

“Two years without a Government is not the wish of the DUP. Our wish is to have a fully functioning Government in Northern Ireland. We have been calling for Sinn Fein to end its boycott of the Northern Ireland Assembly. I and my colleagues want what is best for the people living here. Like Dylan we feel the best for NI is having a functioning Executive and Assembly.”

She added: “Due to other commitments I wasn’t able to join Dylan on the walk but the Party did engage with him and we were happy to do so. DUP MLA for Upper Bann Jonathan Buckley joined the walk and was able to put forward what we have been doing to restore devolution.”

When asked the same question, Sinn Féin MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Jemma Dolan said: “I want to see the restoration of a power-sharing Executive and political institutions based on equality.

“There are serious challenges facing any attempt to get the institutions up and running. The Tory-DUP pact, the ongoing denial of rights, the reckless Brexit agenda and austerity cuts, and the failure to implement previous agreements on rights and legacy are all serious challenges. I share the frustration of many at the ongoing denial of rights to large sections of our community. There can be no return to the status quo.”

She added: “It is time that people had the type of government, society and future they deserve and can have confidence in.”