Fine Gael TD Mr Liam Burke said Mr Lynch was a Titan in Irish politics who had left an indelible mark.
Mr Noel O'Flynn, representing Jack Lynch's old constituency, said he was a politician who had been loved and revered by all. "This is a particularly sad day. He was a marvellous man," he added.
A former colleague, Mr Pearse Wyse, who left Fianna Fail to help found the Progressive Democrats, said he was too upset to speak about the death of a great friend.
Former MEP and former Minister for Finance Mr Gene Fitzgerald said Mr Lynch had been a wonderful leader whose common sense was palpable, who was never ruffled and who never lost his common touch.
Another former colleague, who left Fianna Fail to join the PDs, Senator Mairin Quill, said Jack Lynch had a noble heart and there was an innate decency about him. He didn't have an easy ride as Taoiseach because within a short few years Northern Ireland erupted, posing a very real threat to the very existence of the Irish State. He responded admirably to that challenge and kept a cool head about him when others were losing theirs.
The Bishop of Cork and Ross, Dr John Buckley, said he had learned of Mr Lynch's death with a sense of sadness. That sadness, he added, was being experienced across Cork county and the whole country and was indicative of the extent to which Jack Lynch's life touched so many people. "Cork people loved Jack Lynch and Jack Lynch had a special place in his heart for all Cork people," he said.