The late Pádraig MacKernan, former secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs, was “a skilled diplomat whose life was committed to the service of our Republic”, Labour TD Ruairi Quinn said in a statement.
He said Mr MacKernan, who died last Monday, was among a generation of talented diplomats “who helped successive Irish governments to transform our country’s relationship with Britain and the US”.
Mr Quinn, a former leader of the Labour Party and minister for finance, continued: “A man of the left and a professional diplomat, he joins the ranks of so many former Iveagh House colleagues who ensured that Ireland was ably represented and always respected in the community of nations.”