Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I will say a few words in respect of our late great friend, the former Senator, Feargal Quinn. Today is a sad occasion for the family of Feargal Quinn and his former colleagues here in the Upper House, where he distinguished himself. I hope, however, that it is also a moment of pride. It is an opportunity for those of us who shared this space in our Parliament with him to pay tribute and due respect to one of our best. The former Senator leaves behind a legacy that stretches across both business and politics and into the lives of those who knew him. He made an immense contribution, characterised by charity, civic duty and innovation. In Superquinn, he built up a remarkable business. His relentless emphasis on customer service created a unique shopping experience that transformed commerce in Ireland. For his many employees, he created a business that enabled them to live a good life with a decent job. All through this, his personal characteristics of kindness and decency shone through in the rough and tumble of the business world. His energy and the example he set for all of his staff became a model that other business owners admired. He was a firm advocate of Irish enterprise at home and abroad. We could not have hoped for a more energetic or enthusiastic supporter of our national interests.

From the world of business, Feargal Quinn threw himself headlong into the equally tough area of politics and, once more, distinguished himself. He introduced 17 Bills, marking himself out as a prolific legislator who pinpointed issues. He deftly worked with others to achieve his aims and passed a series of laws that helped to better the lot of the Irish people. On the deeply competitive university panel, his appeal continuously shone through. He set the standard that others on that panel strive to achieve to this day. As Senator McDowell alluded to, when this House stood on the precipice of political oblivion in 2013, Feargal Quinn stood up to defend it. Rather than joining in with a populist slash-and-burn approach to pillars of our shared democracy, he held firm. He outlined, with sharp clarity of thought and his own remarkable lived model of political life, the crucial role the Upper House plays in our democracy. Our presence here today is a result of his boundless energy and ceaseless efforts. All those who take their seats today are challenged to live up to his tremendous example.

I will pick out a few points Feargal Quinn made in his final contribution to this House on 3 February 2016. This contribution is worth reading for anyone who has not read it in its entirety. He said: "I have been involved in a number of careers but in this one every single day from the first time I came into this House I have been fortunate enough to get a sense of achievement and satisfaction." Later in his contribution, he said:

Years ago, I remember being asked to explain the word “management” in five words or fewer. We spoke about it a lot and came up with, “Management is getting results through other people”. That is what I have learned here in this House. It is about the ability of the Government, this and the other House to get results through other people. I found listening and getting results on that basis has been a huge success. It could not have taken place, however, without the enthusiasm, commitment and the dedication of so many people, both who work here and who have been elected to this House.

In the final sentence of his contribution he said: "I certainly intend to maintain my interest in what is going on here in the years ahead." I was thinking of a few of the stand-out moments I remember of Feargal, apart from the fact that he was the man to patent the effectiveness of socks, long before the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, was even born. Both the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senator McDowell have alluded to this, and to Feargal's beautiful ties. I remember he once said that during his business career he had been working between 18 and 20 hours a day and eventually decided he needed to take up a hobby that would take him out of the office. He did not want the other staff or management to know that he was taking a break, so he purchased a horse and named it "Business" so that when anybody inquired as to where he was, his secretary could say he was out on Business.

Feargal Quinn had a major difficulty with promotions from various bodies, such as television companies, Sky News, sporting channels or whatever, offering great discounts to new customers while paying no attention to existing customers. He could not cope with this. It bothered him to such an extent that he used to unsubscribe from some of these services and then subscribe in the name of his wife, Denise, to avail of the incentives.He stressed to us all the difference between best-by dates and use-by dates. It is something on which he encouraged us all to educate ourselves and the public. He said it would lead to far less food wastage. He questioned the logic of changing the clock in summer and winter, something which we discussed recently. He was partly responsible for the change to how we receive the Order Paper, which was put in a brown envelope and put in our pigeonholes every sitting day. We can get it now on the Internet.

Feargal was a very decent and honourable man, dapper, as he has been described by many, and who always carried his briefcase. When he walked in through the door, one would know by the speed he was walking at whether he was in good or bad humour, or whether the Government was going to get it. I learned that as a former Government Chief Whip. One is able to read the body language of people that one might be depending on for a vote.

It was an honour for me to serve with him from 2002 to 2016. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party I wish his wife, Denise, and his family and extended family our deepest sympathies.