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“We are so blown away” Tara O’Halloran says of support during husband’s ordeal in China
The wife of an Irish businessman who was prevented from leaving China for almost three years by the country’s authoritarian regime has thanked the Irish people and State for their support during the couple’s ordeal. Tara O’Halloran, wife of Irish aviation leasing executive Richard O’Halloran from Foxrock, south Dublin, said the couple is grateful for all of the help and support they received when Mr O’Halloran was denied an exit visa from China before returning home to Ireland on a flight from Shanghai on Saturday. "We are so blown away by the lovely messages of kindness and support," Tara O’Halloran said in post on Twitter this evening. "It has been the happiest reunion for our family and we are truly grateful. Richard is so happy to be back home where he belongs at long last. Thank you so much everybody, from Tara and Richard" it read. The senior Irish aviation leasing executive who lived with his wife Tara and four children in Foxrock had been trapped in China since travelling to Shanghai in February 2019. He went there to try to resolve an ongoing commercial and legal issue involving the Chinese owner of the firm he works for, aircraft leasing company China International Aviation Leasing Service (CALS Ireland). The company’s chairman, Min Jiedong, is serving a prison sentence in China for fundraising fraud. Mr O’Halloran had been denied an exit from China until the issue was resolved. But after arriving at Dublin Airport yesterday he said “this is a day of great happiness and emotion” as he was reunited with his wife and their children, Ben (15), Amber (12), Bella (10) and Scarlett (8). He met his wife and children in the Platinum section of the arrival section of Terminal 1 where they spent almost an hour together laughing and chatting before departing. Mr O’Halloran released a statement in which he thanked all those who had supported him and his family and worked to secure his return home. He paid special tribute to his wife and children whom he said were “always a beacon of light and hope for me”. He said the “hundreds of Messenger calls we had helped me to remain positive”. "This has been an incredible challenge for them too and they endured many dark days,” he said. "Tara was an incredible tower of strength and kept the show on the road,” he added.
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