Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn (1 July 1935 – 23 November 2009) was an Irish publican, hotelier, music promoter, storyteller, He worked, honeymooned and eventually settled with his family in Toronto. The Toronto Sun described him as "County Leitrim's favourite son".

Early life

Quinn was born on 1 July 1935 and grew up in Cloone, County Leitrim. In 1958, Quinn and his uncle, Peter Quinn, opened Quinn Co on Longford's Main Street. He hosted events at Quinn County, featuring pop stars such as Joe Dolan, The Drifters and the Royal Showband.

Rival stores

Quinn's supermarket rivals were other Irish stores such as Dunnes Stores and Superquinn, Quinn's love for polo necks led him to arrive at one funeral dressed in a pink polo neck.

Hospitality businesses

Quinn purchased several Irish pubs, such as the Dead Man's Inn in Palmerstown (closed in 1975) and Mooneys (which went into receivership).

He went on to set up a hotel and sports complex in Kilternan, County Dublin. Quinn's intention had been to create a similar facility to that seen in The Shining, but the 1973 oil crisis disrupted this plan. The Pat Quinn Club later was called "one of the most spectacular [Irish] business failures on record".

Quinn opened three pool halls, initially above Rathmines's Stella cinema and later in Bray and Drogheda and also set up an "executive coach service" for businessmen travelling around Ireland.

There were also discount stores in Ballymun and Finglas, Ringsend's Pierrot snooker and gaming club and the Shoparound Centre on Dublin's South Great George's Street.

The last venture shut in early 1986 following below average Christmas trading in 1985. Quinn moved to Toronto in 1986, emigrating to escape the recession which gripped Ireland at this time.

Later years

Quinn initially sold books and crisps in Canada. He set up his first bar there in 2001. His family are known in Canada for their Toronto restaurants and pubs, which include the "Irish Embassy" and "PJ O'Brien's", as well as one Montreal bar. He appeared in the Toronto Stars business section to demonstrate his prowess in the Canadian business industry. Quinn also continued his music promotion after his return to Canada.

Personal life

Quinn purchased a house in Killiney and two Rolls-Royce cars, one silver and one Maroon with a telephone, and a third car, a Mercedes for the family. He owned three racehorses, one which was called "Lucky Leitrim".

Quinn and his wife, Anne, had their honeymoon in Toronto, a place where they were to spend much of their life from then onwards. They had seven children Bernard, Patrick, Lisa, Gavin, Paul, Tanya and Barry-John. Two became orthodontists, one works in the medical profession and the other four succeeded Quinn in his Canadian pub business.

Death

He died in Canada on 23 November 2009, aged 74, when he succumbed to kidney failure. Senator Feargal Quinn, the founder of rival Superquinn, remarked upon the death of his namesake: "He certainly changed retailing in Ireland [...] He was always on the microphone in the shop giving away cars and houses". Louis Copeland, the tailor responsible for the suits he wore in his advertisements, commented: "I remember going to his house in Killiney and the phone never stopped, calls from people down the country looking for jobs. And Pat tried to fix something for all of them." Quinn's funeral at St. Michael's Cathedral on 28 November 2009 was attended by more than 800 people, including the mayor of Toronto. Tenor Colm Wilkinson sang the hymn "Amazing Grace". Irish ambassador to Canada, Declan Kelly, described Quinn and his wife as "the embodiment of Ireland".