Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is one of the more enjoyable sessions in the Seanad. One can almost feel Feargal Quinn is here. I thank everyone for sharing their stories. I did not serve with Feargal Quinn, but what Senators McDowell, Norris, Wilson and Noone have shared is very important and it is enjoyable to listen to.

On behalf of the Sinn Féin team in the Seanad, I welcome Feargal's family and will say some words of tribute. He was an ebullient businessman, entrepreneur and innovator, but most importantly to his family he was a loving father, brother, and grandfather.

Feargal Quinn was an innovator in the Irish retail sector. No one needs me to tell them that. He brought about new levels of customer service. Even for people like me who never met Feargal Quinn, I felt that I knew him. We watched him and followed him and listened to what he had to say. He will be remembered for the likes of the loyalty cards, the self-scanning, coupled with the famous high-level customer service and the stand out products. We all know about the Superquinn pork sausages. I think SuperValu still retains them. He was a leader and he treated his staff like a family and valued them as much as the customer. When Senator Wilson was talking about the customer and how Feargal Quinn appreciated existing customers, it reminded me of the insurance companies. They could certainly learn a thing or two from Feargal Quinn in terms of customer service. He encouraged staff to progress and to find a passion in retail as much as he did. He really showed what can be done when one aligns passion with purpose.

Feargal Quinn seems to have gone out of his way to brighten everybody's day. It was really evident. His levels of emotional and social intelligence were there for all to see. He clearly invested in the happiness and well-being of his staff. I was speaking to a former staff member of Superquinn yesterday and I mentioned Feargal Quinn. A smile came to her face and she said he was such a lovely man. He was great to work for and always had a smile on his face. She said she loved when he visited the store, that he was inspirational to them all, and that he valued them as employees. She said that still to this day in any work she does, she always remembers the values he taught them in customer care. It is more than 20 years since that person worked in the company but it shows the impact that can have on someone years later. Is that not what we would wish or aspire to for all of us? This is what Feargal Quinn was to many people. He put the needs of the customer first and foremost, and he transformed the retail landscape.

As a Senator for 23 years he was a strong voice for the national business community and a force for change. He was, as was mentioned earlier, passionate about Seanad reform. I cannot recall an Irish businessman who is more fondly remembered by those who met him. Senator McDowell referred earlier to his article in The Sunday Business Post. Senator Boyhan shared it with me earlier. Something really stood out for me in terms of leadership, some of the global leadership we see now, and some of the people who are in positions of leadership who could learn a thing or two from Feargal Quinn.What he said was that leadership is not about marching in step with the status quo. It is about asking where one's followers would like to go and then taking them there. Real leadership, he said, is about having the vision and the wisdom to know where your people ought to go, charting a course and taking them there. He was a unifier of people.

We remember Feargal Quinn fondly today. I extend my deepest sympathy to his family. I cannot imagine how much they miss him but I hope they take some solace from the legacy of care, compassion and leadership that he has left us all. May he rest in peace.