FitzGerald outlined visionnear Claudy

He led tributes to the former Fine Gael Taoiseach saying he played an important role in paving the way for the Northern Ireland peace process.

“I first met Dr FitzGerald in the village of Park, County Derry, many years ago. I knew then, as a much younger person, that this was a man who would help bring peace to this part of Ireland and help heal the wounds between North and South and between Britain and Ireland. If I was wrong in any way, it was in my underestimation of the huge obstacles that were placed in his way, as the campaign of violence continued and with the then Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher’s, infamous outburst, ‘Out. Out. Out.’” said Mr Dallat.

“He endured, did not react, and, within a few months, signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which became the foundation stone upon which our political institutions are now built.

“At the funeral mass we were reminded that the Queen’s historic visit to Ireland had just finished, and Dr FitzGerald was aware of that before he died.

“I feel sure that the vision of a new Ireland and a new relationship with Britain that he outlined over a cup of tea in Park all those years ago is now the new dawn that is at long last emerging in relationships between North and South and between Ireland and Britain,” he added.