President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to former Chief Justice Thomas Finlay, who has died at the age of 95.
Mr Justice Finlay was called to the bar in 1944 and served as a Fine Gael TD in Dublin South Central in the 1950s.
He was subsequently appointed to the High Court in 1974 and was Chief Justice from 1985 until 1994.
Following his retirement he undertook a number of public inquiries including the Hepatitis C Tribunal.
President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to Mr Justice Finlay saying: "As President of Ireland, may I convey my condolences to his family and friends, as well as express our nation's thanks for his contribution to public life in so many fields.
"As a member of the Supreme Court and indeed as a member of Dáil Éireann, Tom Finlay left a legacy of public service, including a robust defence of the constitution and its provisions on parliamentary privilege and citizens' rights," said Mr Higgins.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: "Mr Justice Finlay served with great distinction at many levels of the legal system in Ireland; as a barrister, Senior Counsel, President of the High Court, Supreme Court Justice, as Chief Justice of Ireland from 1985-1994, and over 40 years service as a member of the Council of State.
"He leaves an extraordinary legacy of public service in the law, to which he added a period of time in Dáil Éireann during the 1950s."
The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan also paid tribute to Mr Justice Finlay, saying his 20 years on the bench were characterised by the clear and pragmatic thinking that lay behind his judgments in many significant cases.
The Minister also praised Mr Justice Finlay's fine skills of legal analysis and his humanity and expressed his appreciation for his great contribution to public life and dedicated service to the State.
Mr Flanagan expressed his deepest condolences to the former Chief Justice's family, including his daughter, Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan who was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court last week.
He is also survived by his sons, Tom and John, his other daughters, Joan and Ruth, sons in law, daughters in law, grandchildren, great grandchildren as well as other relatives and friends.
His funeral mass will take place on Tuesday morning at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Donnybrook in Dublin.
