The Irishman has been reunited with his family.
Richard O’Halloran has arrived back in Ireland and has been reunited with his family after spending nearly three years trapped in China.
His wife Tara took to Twitter on Saturday (29 January) to post pictures of the two together with their four children.
“Thank you everyone for all your support. We are so unbelievably happy to have him back,” she said.
Thank you everyone for all your support. We are so unbelievably happy to have him back… pic.twitter.com/HCvehlOw7n
— Tara O’Halloran (@tara_ohalloran) January 29, 2022
— Tara O’Halloran (@tara_ohalloran) January 29, 2022
Richard had been unable to leave China since travelling to the country in February 2019.
He went to Shanghai to try and resolve a dispute between the Chinese authorities and the firm he worked for at the time – aircraft leasing company China International Aviation Leasing Service (CALS Ireland).
Despite not being accused of wrongdoing and the dispute pre-dating his employment at the firm, Chinese authorities had blocked Richard from leaving the country.
On Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney confirmed, however, that the travel restrictions placed on the Irishman had lifted, enabling him to return home to the Emerald Isle.
In a statement on Saturday, Richard said it was “a day of great happiness and emotion” and thanked a number of people for their support throughout the ordeal.
“Mr Simon Coveney, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, was a key figure in reaching a solution and he invested huge effort over a long period, but particularly in recent weeks, leading to a positive outcome,” he said.
“My wider family and friends of the family have been so important in the support they provided both in a practical and emotional sense; and with Tara, I express our sincere gratitude. I would like in particular to thank my mother and father.
“Throughout the three-year period, there have been so many people who have signed petitions, who were active on social media, who wrote letters to newspapers, and who made unsolicited generous contact with my family with offers of support and help. This generosity of spirit can never be repaid.
“I would like to sincerely thank the President of Ireland, Mr. Michael D. Higgins who wrote to his counterpart in China.
“A number of politicians at national and European level have been so supportive and I am sure I am missing some, but I have to sincerely express my gratitude to Deputies Charlie Flanagan TD, Peadar Tóibín TD, Eoin Ó Broin TD, Cathal Berry TD; and Cormac Devlin TD; Senator Michael McDowell, Senator Gerard Craughwell, Senator Barry Ward; and in Europe, Barry Andrews MEP, Sean Kelly MEP, and Frances Fitzgerald MEP. Also, Councillor Hazel Chu in Dublin.
“I would like to acknowledge the kindness of the people in China who looked after me when I was unwell and also note the support of Consular officials Wendy Dorman-Smith and Alison Meagher.
“I would like to sincerely thank the media in Ireland and overseas, for all the interest and support shown to Tara, my family and myself since 2019. The role of the media has been essential in maintaining awareness about the challenging situation I was in and I am very grateful for that. While I realise and understand the huge public interest, as reflected by the media, I hope in the coming period to spend time in private with my family and slowly return to normal living in Ireland.
“A number of other people have been very instrumental in the background in assisting in arriving at a solution including Ulick McEvaddy; my colleague in CALS Donal Martin; Denis O’Brien; and my brother David O’Halloran (who resides in the US). I know they are reluctant to take any credit, but I have to acknowledge their help.
“Finally, and most importantly, my own family; Ben, Amber, Isabella, Scarlett and especially my wife Tara. This has been an incredible challenge for them too and they endured many dark days. But they were always a beacon of light and hope for me and the hundreds of Messenger calls we had helped me to remain positive.
“Tara was an incredible tower of strength and kept the show on the road. I am home with them now and we are all looking forward to getting to know each other again and doing normal everyday family things.
“Once again, my sincere heartfelt thanks to everybody.”
Main image via Twitter/Tara O’Halloran
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