Feargal Quinn

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Feargal Quinn (Irish: Fearghal Ó Cuinn) (born November 27, 1936) is an Irish politician, businessman and an independent member of the 22nd Seanad Éireann (Senate)- the upper house of the Oireachtas. Quinn was first elected as a senator in 1993 from the National University of Ireland university panel, and was re-elected in 1997 and 2002. He was educated in Newbridge College, and is a commerce graduate of University College, Dublin. He is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs, and is an Oireachtas member of the National Economic and Social Forum.

Quinn, born in Dublin in 1936, has had a distinguished public service and business career. He is the founder of Superquinn supermarket chain, of which he remains non-executive president after his family sold out their interest in August 2005. He became the chairman of the Interim Board for Posts (An Bord Poist in Irish) in 1979 and served as chairman of its successor An Post (The Post Office) until 1989 - he also served on several other public authorities and boards. From 1993 to 1998, he chaired the steering committee which oversaw the development of the Leaving Certificate Applied version. He currently chairs the IBEC-sponsored business committee on better regulation, Sensible Rules. In 2006 he was appointed an Adjunct Professor in Marketing at National University of Ireland, Galway and began a 3-year term as president of Eurocommerce, the Brussels-based lobbying body for the distribution sector.

He is the author of "Crowning the Customer" (O'Brien Press, 1990), which has been translated into many languages. He is the recipient of three honorary doctorates from Irish education institutions (NCEA, National University of Ireland and the University of Dublin) and of a papal knighthood. He shared with Oprah Winfrey the 2006 "Listener of the Year" award of the International Listening Association.

Feargal Quinn is married to Denise Quinn, daughter of Ned and Grace Prendergast. They have five adult children. He is a first cousin of Ruairi Quinn TD and of Lochlann Quinn, former chairman of Allied Irish Banks (AIB).