FORMER Taoiseach John Bruton has died aged 76 following a long illness.
The ex-Fine Gael leader passed away this morning surrounded by his loving family.
John Bruton most famously served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 as leader of the ‘Rainbow Coalition’ with Labour and the Democratic LeftChris Bacon/PA
Bruton presented then-US President Bill Clinton with a bowl of shamrocks at the White House in 1996Reuters
The family said: “It is with deep sadness we wish to announce the death of former Taoiseach John Bruton.
“He died peacefully in the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, surrounded by his loving family, early this morning following a long illness.
“He was a good husband, a good father and a true patriot.
“We will miss him greatly.
“John is survived by his wife, Finola, son Matthew and daughters; Juliana, Emily and Mary-Elizabeth, grandchildren, sons-in-law, his brother, Richard and sister, Mary, nieces, nephews, many cousins and extended family.”
Tributes started to pour in shortly after the news of Mr Bruton’s passing broke at around 10am this morning.
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said John Bruton was one of the “decent” and “genuine” people.
“My view of John is that he was a gentleman,” Mr Ahern told RTE after Mr Bruton’s death was announced.
“He was always the private man. He was leader of the House in government, and I was leader of the House in opposition, way back in the early ’80s.
“I worked with them on so many issues over so many years. We got on very well.
“I considered him one of the decent people. His involvement in the North (Northern Ireland) was always genuine.
“He was a totally genuine person and always acted in the interests of the people of the country, of the people of need and I wouldn’t have a bad word to say about John Bruton.”
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill also expressed her condolences to the family.
Speaking in the Assembly, she said: “I want to pass on my condolences to the family of former taoiseach John Bruton, who we’ve just been notified has sadly passed away.
“To his family and friends, we send them our condolences at this very sad time.”
Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly said he was “very saddened to hear about the passing of my good friend and former Taoiseach”.
He added: “My heart goes out to his family. He was a gentleman and one of the best politicians our country has had. May he rest in peace.”
John Bruton – political career
John Bruton’s political career has taken him from a TD in the 1960s to an ambassador for the European Union in the new millennium.
Mr Bruton was first elected as a TD in Meath in 1969 and held that position in the Dail until 2004, when he retired from Irish politics.
He served in several ministries in the 1980s, including as Finance Minister from 1981 to 1982 and 1986 to 1987.
He then became leader of Fine Gael in 1990, a position he held until 2001.
Mr Bruton most famously served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 as leader of the ‘Rainbow Coalition’ with Labour and the Democratic Left.
He was the youngest-ever leader of the country at the time.
Mr Bruton was left short of the Dail support he needed after the 1997 election and he resigned, later losing the leadership of Fine Gael to Michael Noonan in 2001.
From 2004 to 2009, he served as Ambassador of the EU to the US, before retiring from politics in general to become chairman of IFSC Ireland.
In 2022, Bruton discussed how Bill Clinton played a huge role in bringing peace to this island.
Bruton previously told the Irish Sun: “I remember acknowledging to the President when I visited him in 1995, the first visit, the role that he had played in providing the IRA and Sinn Fein with a sort of ladder of which they could climb towards peace by the granting of the visas to Adams to go to Washington.
“I was previously opposed to that but I acknowledged that he was right and I was wrong there.”
PEACE PROCESS
Bruton and later Bertie Ahern went on to develop a strong relationship with President Clinton that became essential to the peace process in Northern Ireland, knowing that they only had to pick up the phone to get access to the commander in chief.
The former Fine Gael leader said: “I think the fact that we did establish a good relationship with Bill Clinton which was obviously created by my predecessor Albert Reynolds and continued by my successor Bertie Ahern, that was very, very important at those crucial moments.
“He was willing to put on pressure in order to get people to move and I suggested to him that Senator George Mitchell be appointed as an intermediary and he was an ideal intermediary.
“In the way that he would put someone as senior as George Mitchell into a job like this when I asked him was testament to the very deep interests he had in Ireland.
“I remember also being at a summit on terrorism and he was at the next table with a group of Arab kings and I was at a separate table but I could over hear the conversation at the other table and it was Bill Clinton explaining the intricacies of the Irish peace process at length to the various Arab kings.
“It just shows you that he really got it.”
British Prime Minister Tony Blair greets Taoiseach John Bruton on the steps of No 10 Downing StreetEPA
Bruton also met with Britain’s John Major on peace talks regarding Northern IrelandAP:Associated Press Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
