Haughey to get full military honours

CONTROVERSIAL former Taoiseach Charles Haughey will receive full military honours when he is laid to rest with a State funeral this Friday.

Mr Haughey died at his Kinsealy home yesterday morning, surrounded by his family. He died, having received the last rights from his brother, Fr Eoghan Haughey, ending an 11-year battle with cancer.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern led tributes to his predecessor and will deliver the graveside oration at his funeral. President Mary McAleese will interrupt her current visit to Africa to attend. The Taoiseach insisted history would remember Mr Haughey favourably. However, he admitted Mr Haughey’s achievements had been “clouded” by recent revelations of the personal payments he received from businessmen while in office.

“History will have to weigh up both the credit and the debit side, more dispassionately than may be possible today, but I have no doubt its ultimate judgement on Mr Haughey will be a positive one,” he said.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny was also warm in his praise for Mr Haughey.

“He was a formidable opponent, a gifted debater and was as respected abroad as he was controversial at home. He made an enormous contribution to the State,” he said.

However, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte spoke of the “darker side” of Mr Haughey’s career.

“There was probably no other Irish politician over the past 50 years who was such a controversial figure, and there is a darker side to the Haughey political legacy,” Mr Rabitte said.

Mr Ahern cancelled plans to attend a European summit this Friday, so he could be at the funeral.

The Taoiseach said in recent years, he had gone to visit Mr Haughey for long meetings at Christmas.

“I didn’t opt to go out for the last few weeks because I wanted to remember that day when I left him, on Christmas Eve, which was the last time I saw him,” Mr Ahern said.

“My kids loved him. Both of them hugely admired him, he gave them a lot of time when they were small,” Mr Ahern said.

Speaking of their close working relationship within Fianna Fáil in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Taoiseach insisted nothing improper had occurred.

“He never ever once asked me to do anything from an organisational level, a departmental level, a Government level, that in any way breached any probity or any regulation,” he said.

Flags will fly at half mast on Government buildings until after Mr Haughey’s state funeral.