Former Fine Gael minister for justice and MEP Paddy Cooney has died at the age of 94.
Mr Cooney served as a government minister in the cabinets of Liam Cosgrave and Garret FitzGerald. In addition to justice he was a minister for defence, education, transport and posts and telegraphs.
He was a TD for the Longford-Westmeath constituency in the 1970s and between 1981 and 1989. Mr Cooney was also a senator from 1977 to 1981. He was an MEP for the Leinster constituency from 1989 to 1994. He did not stand for re-election in 1994.
Tánaiste Simon Harris paid tribute to Mr Cooney, saying he was a man of “tremendous integrity” who possessed a “genuine passion” for politics and working to improve the lives of his constituents.
He gave “decades of service both to this country and the Fine Gael party”, Mr Harris said in a statement on social media.
“He will be remembered not only for his contributions to public life, but for his courtesy, his decency and the respect he showed to all who worked with him,” he said, extending sympathies to Mr Cooney’s family.
