Phil Flynn
Philip Flynn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1940 Dundalk, Ireland |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, trade union leader, industrial relations advisor, government consultant, financial executive |
| Known for | Vice-president of Sinn Féin; president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (1993–1995); chairman of Industrial Credit Corporation |
Philip Flynn (born 1940 in Dundalk, Ireland) is a prominent Irish entrepreneur with extensive experience as a trade union leader, industrial relations advisor, government consultant, and financial executive. He formerly held the position of vice-president within Sinn Féin and is the eldest among five siblings, born to a nationalist mother and a father affiliated with Fine Gael.
At the age of 14, Flynn became a member of Sinn Féin and actively supported participants in the 1950s IRA Border campaign. His political involvement led to repeated interrogations by law enforcement. In 1974, the Special Criminal Court tried him on charges of IRA membership, specifically accusing him of serving as the IRA Director of Finance; however, he was acquitted. Additionally, he was detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in Liverpool. Flynn gained public prominence in 1975 when he acted as a negotiator during the Tiede Herrema kidnapping crisis.
In 1984, Flynn was elected general secretary of the Local Government and Public Services Union, a role that caused friction with the Fine Gael-Labour coalition government due to his Sinn Féin affiliations. That same year, he joined the executive committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and stepped down from his vice-presidential role in Sinn Féin while continuing to offer support to the party.
Flynn reportedly parted ways with Sinn Féin in 1987. He later served as ICTU president between 1993 and 1995, representing the Irish Municipal Public and Civil Trade Union. In 1996, he was appointed chairman of the Industrial Credit Corporation (ICC) by Ruairi Quinn. The ICC was subsequently acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 2001.
In 2005, Flynn’s premises were searched by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) amid inquiries into suspected IRA money laundering activities. He held a position as non-executive director at Chesterton Finance Company Ltd, which was central to this investigation. Following these events, Flynn resigned from several posts including chairman of the Irish Government decentralisation committee, non-executive chairman of Bank of Scotland (Ireland), and director at the VHI. During the raid, authorities found illegal possession of a pen gun and tear gas canisters; Flynn acknowledged ownership and made a €5,000 donation to charity.
Ted Cunningham, a financial advisor convicted for laundering £3 million stolen during the 2004 Northern Bank robbery, identified Flynn as "the boss behind everything" during Garda interviews presented at Cunningham’s trial.