Tony Quinn (businessman)
Tony Quinn is an Irish businessman, yoga entrepreneur, mind coach and cult leader who founded the Educo Cult.
Background
Quinn was born in Arbour Hill in inner-city Dublin. Quinn left school early and was a salesman for HB Ice Cream. At the age of 17, he was an apprentice butcher in Phibsborough and then a bouncer at Club Go Go on Dame Street in Dublin.Career
In the 1970s, he established communes in Templeogue and Howth where members were often on limited pay.In 1978, the News Of The World confronted Quinn with his claims he could cure cancer. They made him aware of the UK's Cancer Act 1939, 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, "fitness expert", "health guru", "business guru", "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 Steve Collins 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.
In 2009, Sunday World journalist Nicola Tallant 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 used to programme children to carry out acts of genocide and Hamas 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
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; one follower believed himself to be the reincarnation of Saint Joseph.One 21-year-old orphan follower had completed a 40-day water fast and weighed 5½ stone 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 became disinterested in her children and developed an obsession with the Essenes 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.
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, Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison attributed their creations to a greater intelligence that Quinn possessed, and that "Jesus, Buddha 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 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
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 promotes his concept of "Unconscious Attention" where it is 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, 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 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 were made to attend compulsory Mindfulness 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".
In 2025 it was reported that BBC Radio Derby and Sabras Radio presenter Pam Sidhu and her husband were recruiters for EDUCO and that the BBC had ignored safeguarding reports about her.
Previously in 2019 Sabras Radio published two podcasts hosted by presenter Pam Sidhu featuring guest Caroline McDonagh, a nutritionist from Ireland, who was described by the Sunday World as a "disciple" of Quinn.
Another 2019 episode of the Sabras Radio podcast hosted by Sidhu featured Babu Shah who self-identifies as an "EDUCO Seminar Agent".