Former Fianna Fáil senator Des Hanafin has died, aged 86.
He is survived by his wife Mona, daughter and former Fianna Fáil minister, Mary, and his son John, also a former Fianna Fáil senator.
Des Hanafin was born in Thurles, Tipperary. He was elected to North Tipperary County Council in 1955 and subsequently served as Chairman of the Council.
He was first elected to the Seanad in 1965 and held his seat until 1993 when he lost by one vote.
He won back the seat in 1997 and retired from politics in 2002.
Hanafin was a businessman and ran the Anner Hotel in Thurles in the 1960s.
He has spoken about how alcohol almost destroyed his business and political careers.
He was deeply conservative and was one of the key people behind the promotion of the Eighth Amendment. He also opposed the divorce referendum in 1995 and mounted an unsuccessful challenge in the Supreme Court to overturn it.
Although out of active politics in recent years he continued to support efforts to retain the Eighth Amendment and pledged to support that campaign.
He also opposed the marriage equality referendum in 2015.
During his early years in Fianna Fáil former leader and Taoiseach Jack Lynch put him in charge of party fundraising.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin expressed his sadness at Mr Hanafin's death.
In a statement, Mr Martin said "Des was a man steeped in politics and community."
He added that "seeing both his children achieve high office was a source of great pride to him."
