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Des O’Malley has been described as a “giant of politics” and mould-breaking leader who the State owes a “significant debt of gratitude”.
Mr O’Malley, the founder of the Progressive Democrats and former Fianna Fáil minister, died aged 82.
He had been unwell for some time.
Leading tributes, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of his death.
“His was a life of courage and consequence,” he said.
“He loved his country and was fearless in challenging those who used violence to undermine it.”
Mr O’Malley would be remembered at the Government’s meeting on Wednesday, the Fianna Fáil leader said.
Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar said Mr O’Malley “was a giant of politics.”
“He broke the mould of Irish politics and left a lasting and positive legacy,” he said.
Former Progressive Democrats leader, Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon, said Mr O’Malley “never saw politics as a means to enrichment, but rather a way to serve his country and its people, working in their interests throughout his life.”
In the North, SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said Mr O’Malley was “a true statesman”, while Alliance party North Down MP Stephen Farry said he “was a hugely influential figure in Irish politics and a good friend to the Alliance party”.
‘Steadfast service’
Minister for Justice Heather Humphreys offered her condolences to Mr O’Malley’s family, friends and former colleagues.
She said: “Aged just 31, Des O’Malley was appointed Minister for Justice at one of the most difficult and threatening times in the State’s history.
“Des, his late wife Pat and their family endured great risk including threats from those who sought to undermine the authority of this State but Des never wavered in his duty and commitment to preserving our State and the safety and security of all its people.
“The steadfast service Des O’Malley gave to our State will never be forgotten by all those who cherish law and order.
“He was a republican in the truest sense of the word, one who broke the mould of Irish politics and helped modernise our society and our economy,” she said.
Former Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan described Mr O’Malley as a “man of courage and integrity who really did break the mould of Irish politics.”
Mr Flanagan said he “didn’t always agree with his politics but admired him immensely.”
Willie O’Dea, also a former Fianna Fáil minister and long-time TD for Limerick, said Mr O’Malley was “straight as an arrow with no hint of corruption ever”.
On Mr O’Malley’s challenges to former Fianna Fáil leader Charlie Haughey, which saw him expelled from the party in 1984, Mr O’Dea said “even those on the opposing side to Des would concede that he had a powerful intellect.”
“Des was deeply involved in a number of attempts to unseat Haughey as leader of Fianna Fáil and I supported him on each and every occasion,” he said.
“Had he succeeded, the history of Fianna Fáil might have been very different and I have no doubt that we’d be in a much better place than we are now.”
Mr O’Dea also said: “He faced down a very serious threat to national security when he was Minister for Justice and was a brilliant Minister for Industry and Trade. I think the State owes him a significant debt of gratitude.”
Mr O’Malley was appointed Minister for Justice during the 1970 Arms Crisis.
Colm O’Gorman, director of Amnesty Ireland, described Mr O’Malley as an “extraordinary man of tremendous courage and integrity.”
Fine Gael Minister for State Josepha Madigan said Mr O’Malley was “a reforming Minister for Justice as well as one of the great political leaders that this country has seen.”
Mr O’Malley was elected as a TD for Limerick in 1968 and was appointed Minister for Justice during the Arms Crisis of 1970.
A fierce opponent of Charles Haughey, he was expelled from Fianna Fáil in 1984 by Haughey and went on to found the Progressive Democrats in 1985, becoming its first leader.
He led the PDs into a coalition government with the Haughey-led Fianna Fáil in 1989, becoming Minister for Industry and Commerce and reaching an uneasy rapprochement in with Haughey in Government.
It was the first coalition that Fianna Fáil participated in.
He stepped down as leader of the PDs in 1993, but remained a TD for Limerick East until his retirement from active politics in 2002.
His wife, Pat, predeceased him in 2017. The couple had six children.
‘Major figure’
The Taoiseach, Mr Martin said Mr O’Malley was a “major figure in Irish public affairs” for more than 30 years and he represented the people of Limerick and the country as a whole “with determination and a commitment to making Ireland a better place.”
He said that as Minister for Justice, Mr O’Malley: “dedicated himself to facing down an illegitimate campaign of violence that directly targeted the institutions of the State.”
Mr Martin said that as Minister for Industry and Commerce Mr O’Malley led that Department in “attracting critical investment in our country and helped to develop new industries.”
“It was a record of real achievement of which he was rightly proud,” Mr Martin said.
He said that as the founder and leader of the Progressive Democrats Mr O’Malley had an influence which “went far beyond that party’s period in the Dáil.”
“He showed an ability to work with others on a positive programme and to put to one side disagreements. In doing this he helped set a new course for Irish politics.”
Mr Martin said that during Mr O’Malley’s last period in the Dáil he served as a “very constructive backbencher”, who was always available to Ministers to advise and to make sure that a minority Government could work effectively, especially in negotiating and implementing the historic Good Friday Agreement.
“I remember well how my ministerial colleagues from the Progressive Democrats relied heavily on Des’s counsel at important moments,” he said.
Mr Martin said that Mr O’Malley’s five years as a Director of the European Board of Reconstruction and Development are “often overlooked” and, working from London, “he helped implement programmes designed to extend peace and prosperity through new regions of Europe. ”