He was the businessman who became a household name after founding what would become the Superquinn grocery chain, operating his company based on "the boomerang principle".
"You have to picture the guests who came to Red Island, and there were 500 that came week after week ... on a deal that was an all-in holiday. Speaking on RTÉ's The Late Late Show, he said that he felt a great sense of achievement from having served as a Senator. During a referendum in the same year over the abolition of the Seanad, Mr Quinn was part of the campaign which was against the abolition.
"The Seanad is mentioned 75 times in the Constitution, and therefore the number of changes is going to devastate the Constitution. It’s going to tear it apart," he said. "It is very hard to explain just how much of a gentleman he was. All those people who had dealings with him will just remember his kindness and also his ability, and the fact that he wore his own achievements very lightly."He offered advice to aspiring and struggling entrepreneurs on the programme, which he fronted for three seasons.
Pity the banks don’t take a leaf out of his book