LAST UPDATE | 17 hrs ago

FORMER PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheál Martin have paid tribute to their “friend” and former colleague David Andrews, who died at the age of 91.

The former Fianna Fáil TD and foreign affairs minister passed away over the weekend.

In a statement, Higgins said Andrews made a “huge” contribution to Irish politics and to have served as a Cabinet minister alongside him was a “really positive experience”.

Higgins praised Andrews’s “cooperative spirit” and his role as a campaigner on human rights. The two had travelled together to Palestine and Israel.

The former president offered his condolences on behalf of him and his wife Sabina to Andrews’s wife Annette and the rest of the family.

Martin said he was “lucky” to have served in government with Andrews and saw firsthand his intelligence, work rate, commitment to peace, as well as his decisiveness, wit and good humour.

“David was one of a generation of Irish public representatives who were big personalities with a big vision for the development of their country and who left an enormous footprint.”

Andrews was first elected to the Dáil in 1965 for the Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown constituency. 

He later served as foreign affairs minister from 1992 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2000. In the ministerial role, he took part in the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed in April 1998.

Andrews pictured with Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam in 1999. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Andrews also served as defence minister for two shorter periods (from 1993 to 1994, and June 1997 to October 1997).

A long-serving member of Fianna Fáil, he retired from politics in 2002, when he was succeeded by his son Barry (who is currently an MEP for Fianna Fáil).

Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher offered his sympathies on behalf of the party’s MEPs Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Barry Cowen to their colleague Barry Andrews and Andrews’s extended family. 

“David was a towering giant of Irish politics. His commitment to Ireland, Fianna Fáil, his constituency of Dun Laoghaire, and the values that underpinned his politics were well-known and respected across the political aisle,” Kelleher said.

Andrews’s nephew, Chris Andrews, is a senator for Sinn Féin. His other son David is a comedian who works under the stage name of David McSavage.

His brother Niall Andrews also served as a TD and MEP.

Higgins said: “The contribution of the Andrews family to the cause of human rights is immense and his passing is a significant loss”.

Tánaiste Simon Harris similarly pointed to Andrews’s family’s contributions to Irish politics, describing him as a “member of one of Ireland’s most notable political dynasties”.

David Andrews’s father was Todd Andrews, a founding member of Fianna Fáil.

“I want to extend my deepest sympathies to his family, including his wife Annette and five children, his many friends and his former colleagues,” Harris added.