A millionaire by thirty, Quinn became an almost mythical character, creating thousands of jobs at a time when the shadows of mass unemployment and the Troubles loomed over the Irish borderlands. However, after four decades of unparalleled success, Quinn’s business empire imploded.
The atmosphere in ‘Quinn Country’ turned ominous. Violence and intimidation flourished, helping bring part of his business back under local control, with Quinn as consultant. However, what seemed like a ‘second coming’ soon turned toxic. Rifts in the boardroom between Quinn and his former executives, men he had once prized for their loyalty but now blamed for the loss of his companies, ended with Quinn’s final ousting. Further violence followed, culminating in the horrific attack on his former right-hand man, Kevin Lunney, an event that would end even local support for Quinn. His empire was gone.
This is the truly remarkable story of the man everyone said was too big to fail.