‘It was impossible to know Garret without liking him’

POLITICAL leaders and politicians singled out Dr Garret FitzGerald’s role in the peace process and his contribution to reconciliation in the North.

The Dublin man had been an early architect of peace in the North, with one of his greatest political legacies being the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985.

The move, which gave Ireland a say in the internal affairs in the six counties, eventually helped pave the way for the Good Friday Agreement.

Former British prime minister John Major said: “It was impossible to know Garret FitzGerald without liking him, and impossible to like him without admiring him.

“In difficult circumstances he sought to end conflict and promote harmony. At the end of his political life he left a legacy of affection and respect for what he was as a man, and what he achieved as a statesman.”

Former Fianna Fáil minister and Progressive Democrats leader Des O’Malley said: “The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an extraordinary achievement by Garret FitzGerald... It’s impossible to exaggerate its importance.”

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson, who opposed the agreement, said both men met on a number of occasions in difficult times but their encounters were always friendly.

“Dr FitzGerald and I disagreed profoundly on many things, especially the Anglo-Irish Agreement, but he never allowed political difference to become a bar to personal relations,” he said.

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said Dr FitzGerald cared deeply about peace in Ireland and supported efforts on the North during his own tenure.

Mr Ahern said: “He was generous in his advice and vocal in his encouragement of my efforts to secure what became the Good Friday Agreement and then to get it implemented.”

Former Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes said Dr FitzGerald had been an instigator in getting rid of Articles 2 and 3 in the Constitution, which eradicated the claim that the whole island formed one “national territory”.

Former Stormont deputy first minister Seamus Mallon said Dr FitzGerald had the courage to force the British government to address Anglo-Irish issues they previously ignored.

Queen Elizabeth II offered her sympathies, saying he made a “lasting contribution” to peace.

President Mary McAleese said nobody would have deserved more to be involved in celebrations around the queen’s visit than Dr FitzGerald .

British Prime Minister David Cameron echoed her comments: “I hope, today of all days, with the state visit and the warm relationship between Britain and Ireland that [Dr FitzGerald] can see that some of his work has been completed.”