The group has ventured into cement and concrete products, container glass, general insurance, radiators, plastics,[1] hotels, and real estate.

It was formed by Seán Quinn in 1973, developing from a small quarrying operation in Derrylin into a large organization, employing over 8,000 people in various locations throughout Europe.

From 2004 the group saw great expansion throughout Europe, with radiator and plastic manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain and Slovakia.

The group property portfolio also includes hotel and business centres in Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia.

On 30 March 2010, following an application by the Central Bank of Ireland, the High Court appointed joint provisional administrators to Quinn Insurance Limited.

Although it had reported an operating profit in its two main divisions, insurance and non-insurance (e.g. cement, property) for each of the last 3 years, the company was impacted by significant provisions in 2006 and 2007.

Over the 3-year period to December 2008, the Group revalued upward its assets and investments by a net cumulative €306 million, which positively impacted shareholders equity.

In the year to December 2008, the Group reported an income of €150 million from the Quinn family and related entities, for services provided by the Group including: "the identification of sites for acquisition and development, the negotiation of purchase price, the negotiation and arrangement of financing, the engagement of developers and related professional advisors and the ongoing monitoring of the projects through the construction phase."

QUINN Lite Pac, Granard, County Longford was founded in 1975 to produce and distribute expanded polystyrene thermal insulation products for the construction industry.

QUINN Therm, at Scotchtown, Ballyconnell, County Cavan was commissioned in October 2004 to produce and distribute rigid polyurethane thermal insulation products for the Irish and UK markets.

Headquartered in Derrylin, County Fermanagh, the company has operating facilities in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Slovakia, the UK and the Czech Republic.

[17] These are set to include a €300 million, 450-megawatt combined cycle gas turbine in County Louth, which has been approved and fast-tracked by An Bord Pleanala under the state's Strategic Infrastructure Bill.

It features one of the largest automated warehouses in Europe, capable of handling 282,000 pallets of filled and unfilled glass containers.

The facilities at the plant include a beverage filling hall, warehousing, two glass melting furnaces and 13 production lines.

[25] At the start of 2007, a new radiator facility employing 500 people went into production in Newport, South Wales, in part of the never-occupied former LG television plant.

[citation needed] The company moved into the UK Commercial business, where it operated through its Salford Quays office in Manchester from 2003.

[30] In February 2007, QUINN Healthcare entered the Irish health insurance market with the completion of its takeover of BUPA Ireland Limited's business.

[31] Consultancy firm Thomas Carroll, posted on its website that Quinn Insurance was placed into "Provisional Administration" on 30 March 2010 by the Irish Financial Regulator.

The article stated: The Irish Times reports that Council for the regulator said that the company had "significantly breached" its solvency ratios in recent months.

On 15 April 2010, the Irish Times reported that Quinn Insurance decided not to fight the appointment of a permanent administrator.

Along with the rest of the Quinn Group, it is in administration while efforts are made to identify and sell off properties to pay off its €2.8 billion of loans.

[43] On 30 March 2010, following an application by Ireland's Financial Regulator, the High Court appointed joint provisional administrators to Quinn Insurance Limited.

Given the magnitude of the loans to Anglo Irish Bank the company was reported to be considering a €700 million financial rescue of the Quinn Group.

refusing to speculate on the need for a €550 million payment to bondholders, it noted that a re-financing, if it occurred, would not necessarily increase the overall debts of the Group.

[33] According to RTÉ, Quinn Insurance believed it may have a better chance if it were dealing with a full-time administrator, and has increasingly been concerned about the damage it is suffering as a result of the ban on it doing business in the UK.

[49] First was an arson attack on the family car of Paul O'Brien, the chief executive of Aventas, at his home in Ratoath, County Meath.

[50][51] On 19 March 2021 in Cavan Circuit Court James Bernard McGovern, a medal-winning boxer from Fermanagh, pleaded guilty to assaulting Kevin Lunney and Dara O'Reilly in February 2021.

[51] In September 2019, Kevin Lunney, chief operations officer of Quinn Industrial Holdings, was kidnapped outside his home in County Fermanagh and taken to a farm in County Cavan where he was beaten, slashed with a knife, his leg was broken, and 'QIH' was carved on his torso; he was then soaked in bleach and abandoned by the side of a road.

[52][53] Three men were found guilty in November 2021 of false imprisonment and intentionally causing harm, and were sentenced the following month to between 18 and 30 years in prison.