Superquinn founder and politician Feargal Quinn has died, aged 82.
He passed away peacefully at his home in Howth, Co Dublin, after a short illness.
Mr Quinn established the Superquinn chain of supermarkets in 1960 and served as a Senator from 1993 to 2016.
The former Senator is survived by his wife Denise, their five children, and 19 grandchildren.
In a statement, the Quinn family said: “First and foremost Feargal was a loving and caring husband, father, grandfather, and brother.
“To everyone else who knew him, he was an ebullient businessman, entrepreneur, innovator and former Senator.”
Superquinn was sold to the Musgrave Group in 2011, who rebranded the remaining stores as SuperValu in 2014.
Mr Quinn also presented the RTÉ TV series ‘Feargal Quinn’s Retail Therapy’.
“It’s a really sad day for the nation and for his family,” said Minister for Transport Shane Ross on RTÉ Radio.
“This man was an icon. I’ve always described him as ‘The best president Ireland never had’.
“Despite his great wealth and incredible success he related to everybody. Customers and staff loved him. He was so absolutely genuine in his beliefs.
“He was a cut above all of us politicians. He got on with his job, he didn’t get involved in spats.
“He was never flash just generous, he was a superb listener, something very special.
“He was one of the great marketers, he found out what the customers and what staff were thinking.
“He was a very genuine and easy person to deal with. His word was his bond.”
Mr Quinn was presented with the Philanthropist of the Year Award earlier this year in recognition of his charity work.
Former Tánaiste Michael McDowell said: “People shouldn’t consider that niceness made him a fluffy person, he was very strong.
“He made it his business to know his staff and to know his customers.
“He didn’t take his Senate salary, he donated it to charity.
“While he was recognized as someone who was kind and gentle in his dealings with people, he was very firm in his opinions.
“He was conservative in his moral outlook, but not in his ambitions for Ireland.
“He was the consummate gentleman. All who had dealings with him will remember him for his kindness and ability.”
Businessman Ben Dunne said: “Fergal Quinn made a difference, he brought in a thing called customer service.
“He had an ability to sell cheap because he was a good retailer. He made sure everything was right for the customer.
“He was kind, but he was also ruthless. He was nobody’s fool. He kept that family feeling in business.
“He came from humble beginnings, he went from nowhere to matching the big operators.
“He was very competitive on price and was very fair to the people who worked for him.
“He was a great businessman and a great Irishman.”