Tributes paid to controversial former minister Paddy Donegan

The former Fine Gael politician Mr Paddy Donegan, who died yesterday aged 77, was "one of the best ministers for defence the country ever had," his party leader, Mr John Bruton, said last night.

Mr Donegan's career covered more than a quarter of a century but became irrevocably defined by a comment he made while minister for defence in 1976.

His words led to the resignation of President Cearbhall O Dalaigh and to Mr Donegan's subsequent demotion in a cabinet reshuffle.

The context of the controversial comments was the president's decision to refer the Emergency Powers Bill to the Supreme Court some weeks earlier. The court ruled that the Bill did not infringe the Constitution, and the measure became law shortly before Mr Donegan opened an Army canteen at Mullingar.

Speaking during lunch at the barracks, the minister departed from his script and said it was "amazing" that the president had referred the Bill to the Supreme Court, adding: "In my opinion he is a thundering disgrace."

Mr Donegan subsequently apologised but ignored calls to resign. A Dail motion calling for his dismissal was defeated, and the affair ended when President O Dalaigh resigned, citing the need to defend his office. After the 1977 general election, Mr Donegan ceased to have a leading role in party affairs.

In a subsequent interview, he said he had been suffering from concussion when making the Mullingar speech, following a car accident the evening before. He was also motivated by the belief that the IRA had exploited the delay in the legislation's introduction and that the delay had caused loss of life.

In the other most notable incident of his political career, Mr Donegan personally oversaw the capture of the German gun-running ship, the Claudia, in 1973. The boat's crew was not charged, and the minister was typically outspoken about the matter, saying the captain had been dispatched back to sea "with a kick up the transom".

Four years earlier Mr Donegan was fined £20 for firing a shotgun over a Travellers' camp at Monasterboice.

Born in October 1923, he was educated at Castleknock College, Co Dublin, and worked for a time as a buyer of malting barley for Guinness. He became a successful businessman, buying and developing a seed merchant's and milling company. He was elected TD for Louth in 1954, losing his seat in 1957, but holding it again from 1961 until 1981.

Joining in the tributes last night, the Taoiseach praised Mr Donegan's 27 years of service to the people of Louth, while Mr Ruairi Quinn of Labour said he was "outspoken and controversial" but also "hard-working and a member of the old school". Mr Donegan is survived by his wife, Olivia, and four children.