Byline: by Warren Swords
THE family name is emblazoned on an O'Connell Street attraction that has become somewhat iconic in its own right, Dr Quirkey's Good Time Emporium.
Every Dublin teenager knows the bastion of slot machines and videogames, the name Quirke now synonymous with gaming.
But while the name is recognisable, very little is known about the Quirke family themselves.
The founder of the Quirkey empire, former garda Richard Quirke, is intensely private and rarely gives interviews.
Two of his children have spent their 20s on the vague periphery of the Dublin social scene. Wesley, in particular, on the arm of former Miss World Rosanna Davison.
Many will have known that the Quirkes are rich, and some might have gleaned that they lived in a sprawling Cabinteely mansion marked by 15-foot-high, gaudy gates decorated with golden sea creatures.
But the true lifestyle behind the gates was anyone's guess - until esley's brother, Andy, in an attempt to fashion himself as an entertainer, posted a video online that gave a tour of the property.
The video, meant to be a satirical take on MTV-style celebrity shows such as Cribs, instead laid bare the uirkes' ostentatious lifestyle - and questionable tastes.
Andy and his friends controversially appeared 'blacked-up', presumably imitating black rap stars and athletes who throw open the doors of their homes for reality shows.
With the Quirke family behind the uch-publicised Tipperary Venue, which could bring hundreds of jobs and significant tourist revenue to the county, a review of Andy's video offers insights into the life of a family managing a serious venture.
The Quirke children are expected to be heavily involved in the running of the planned venue, despite their apparent lack of professional experience. And based on the brief public glimpses into their lives - such as the video which garnered an internet backlash labelling them 'overindulged' and 'obnoxious' - it raises questions about how this generation is equipped to handle a multibillion-euro venture.
The Cribs-style video clip that Andy posted on Youtube lasts just a few minutes - but shows astonishing wealth. The enormous mansion behind the gates is reminiscent of the Dallas Southfork ranch, with four massive Greek-style columns supporting an extravagant arch.
Spacious manicured lawns surround the house, with a tree-lined avenue, complete with its own roundabout, leading to the Beverly Hills-style mansion. Stone balustrades surround the pile, with a bronze sculpture standing atop at the entrance to the house. It has two adjoining wings, each bigger than a typical family home.
A silver Mercedes is shown in the driveway with the registration, 'Bling Bling'.
Andy then opens a set of double doors to reveal a grand, tiled entrance room with a bottle of champagne placed on a single table. The hall is dominated by an impressive double staircase. A 'blacked-up' friend is hown gyrating against a pillar.
The home movie then reveals a fleet of luxury vehicles, including convertibles, in which Andy, 26, and his friends pose. To hammer home the family's wealth, he shows a helicopter hovering above the lawn saying: 'You ain't a big dog until you got one of these'.
It's unclear who owns the helicopter but it opens up the possibility that the Quirkes own two of them.
According to Irish Aviation Authority filings, the firm behind the family's arcade business, the Dublin Pool and Juke Box Company Limited, has a Bell 222 twin-engine helicopter. But that model, best known from the Eighties series Airwolf and worth up to [euro]1 million, is a different type of to the one filmed landing in their back yard.
RTE's Prime Time programme on the proposed casino in Tipperary in April showed some of the video in its broadcast - and, following the show, Andy's film was quickly removed from numerous websites.
The video was heavily criticised online, with viewers describing Richard Quirke's youngest son as an 'overindulged brat'.
One said: 'I literally thought I was seeing things. Wanted to wash my eyes with soap afterwards.
Literally encapsulates all the obnoxious behaviour of the Celtic tiger cubs.' Yet that didn't stop Andy from producing another attempt at satire with the music video, Everybody's Drinkin, which premiered on RTE's Republic Of Telly, parodying both southside and northside stereotypes. Everybody's Drinkin was one of the most-watched videos in Ireland and headed straight to the top of the iTunes chart.
But Andy's attempts at satire are somewhat undermined by suggestions he seems to embody the extravagance he parodies.
Both he and Wes have dated models -Wes now shares a home with former Miss World Rosanna Davison - and the pair took part earlier this month in a rally from Dublin to Monaco in which they drove their 2006 Ferrari to the Mediterranean coast and back.
Wes has a well-documented passion for expensive vehicles and is known for his souped-up sports cars, which he would buy and have modified with flashy extras. One particularly distinctive car was a lime green Peugeot 206 GTI, which he sent to Ecosse Peugeot Specialists in Scotland to have outfitted with Tox I and Toxic II bumpers, quad headlights, a custom-made grille, smoothed Vella fibreglass bonnet and a polished Ecosse boot button.
He was rumoured to have spent as much as [euro]100,000 on the car in 2006 - and later came under fire for his alleged reckless driving after he was filmed zooming along an English road, weaving in and out of lanes, at 120km/h. He also appeared in court on speeding charges in Wicklow after gardai clocked him doing more than 40km/h above the speed limit on the N11 - but a judge threw out the charges because he never received a fine in the post.
But the spotlight isn't always just on the sons. Richard Quirke himself has admitted to questionable business practices.
In a rare interview in 1992, the garda-turned-impresario gave some insights into his early business career - and explained how his outlook changed following a decision to become a Buddhist.
He said: 'I was probably 80% dishonest in my dealings with other people. I mean, if I did a deal with you, and it was on a 50-50 basis, I wouldn't be happy unless I got the lion's share of 80-20 in my favour. I had no conscience. It didn't bother me in the slightest.
'I would be at Mas s on Sunday and I would stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down, as need be. But I would be plotting and scheming as to how I could rip off people during the rest of the week.'
There is no suggestion that the next Quirke generation would be in any way dishonest - but there has also been no indication to date that they share any of their father's shrewdness or business acumen. All that anyone really knows is that they live extravagantly, love cars, Andy wants to be an entertainer and Wes is living with Rosanna.
When asked to talk about himself, Andy only offered to speak in character. Despite the willingness to display the family home online, he said; 'I never like to talk about my private life. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing at the moment, becoming a comedic actor and I'm delighted with the success of Everybody's Drinkin.'
Whether the Tipperary Venue will be a success, though, is anyone's guess - and the snippets of the Quirke lifestyle so far have not been encouraging. It has been viewed as extravagant, tacky and over-the-top - but the jury is still out on whether the family has a solid enough foundation to support a venue reflecting those exact same qualities.
warren.swords@mailonsunday.ie
CAPTION(S):
SLOTS KING: Richard Quirke says his outlook on business changed completely when he converted to Buddhism
TASTELESS: Wesley Quirke, above left, dressed as a suicide bomber
MODEL GIRL: Rosanna Davison lives with Wes Quirke
GRANDIOSE: The ostentatious Quirke family residence in Cabinteely, south Co. Dublin
CLASS ACT: Andy Quirke does his skanger impression in a sketch for RTE's Republic Of Telly show
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