McAleese leads Irish tributes to Kennedy

President Mary McAleese has led Irish tributes to Ted Kennedy who died this morning.

The President said that Mr Kennedy would be remembered by the people in Ireland as a "hugely important friend to the country during very difficult times."

"His death will be greeted with a great sense of sadness here because of his long standing affection for this country, not just with the peace process, but on many other issues, including emigration," said Mrs McAleese.

"His outstanding and remarkable personal contribution was made, despite the sacrifice and sorrow that was part of the overall contribution of the entire Kennedy family," she added.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said that America had lost a great and respected statesman and Ireland, a long-standing and true friend.

"Ted hailed from a most famous Irish-American family, and through his own endeavours and achievement, he has added further lustre to the reputation of a great family. . . . In good days and bad, Ted Kennedy worked valiantly for the cause of peace on this island," said Mr Cowen.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin described the senator as "a true and loyal friend of Ireland."

"Ted Kennedy knew and loved Ireland - its people, its music and its culture. As the embodiment of the Irish immigrant story, his special dedication to the peace process was unrivalled and deeply held. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his true and loyal friendship and steadfast support, particularly during the process which resulted in the Good Friday Agreement," said Mr Martin.

Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny said the passing of Ted Kennedy represented the end of an era and praised his "unstinting support" for Irish causes.

"His work during the conflict in Northern Ireland and the peace process was crucial in ensuring ongoing US Government support for a settlement. This proved to be a vital driving force for peace," said Mr Kenny.

"In recent years, he spearheaded efforts to find a solution to regularise the status of the tens of thousands of undocumented Irish people who are living and working in the United States. He has also been a strong supporter of US investment in Ireland," he added.

Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said Mr Kennedy would be chiefly remembered in this country for his opposition to the use of violence in Northern Ireland at a time when many Irish-Americans were sympathetic to its use.

He also praised Mr Kennedy's role in persuading those involved in violence to turn away from using force.

"His life was frequently touched with tragedy, but the courage and determination with which Teddy Kennedy faced his final illness was characteristic of his whole approach to life," said Mr Gilmore.

In a statement, the US ambassador to Ireland, Daniel M Rooney, also paid tribute to Senator Kennedy and the work he did to bring peace.

"Since his early days in the Senate, senator Kennedy was active in the Northern Ireland peace process. A member of the 'Four Horsemen,' he was instrumental in advancing the historic ceasefire in 1994, and he contributed to the talks that brought peace," said Mr Rooney.

Trina Vargo, president of the US-Ireland Alliance and a former foreign policy adviser to the senator said that no one had contributed more to the strengthening of the relationship between the US and the island of Ireland than Mr Kennedy.

Politicians in the North also paid tribute to Mr Kennedy.

Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said he was "deeply saddened" to hear of the death of Mr Kennedy.

"In every sense he was an immense figure whose part in transforming Northern Ireland will be a lasting memorial.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, of Sinn Fein, said Mr Kennedy had been hugely supportive of the peace process and said that his decision to travel to Northern Ireland for the installation of the Rev Ian Paisley and Mr McGuinness as first and deputy first ministers was "hugely symbolic", he said.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan who worked as an intern for Mr Kennedy in 1985, described him as "absolutely inspirational".

Democratic Unionist Party MP Jeffrey Donaldson said that in his latter years Mr Kennedy had come to realise that some of the pro-republican stances he took in the earlier years of the Troubles.

¿There is no doubt senator Kennedy very heavily favoured the position of Irish Republicans and at times his interventions in Northern Ireland were deeply unhelpful," said Mr Donaldson.

However, he added: ¿I think Ted Kennedy came to understand that the situation in Northern Ireland was much more complex than the simple notions that had been put into his head by republican propaganda.

¿As the years passed, he did moderate his position somewhat and in the end he realised some of the stances he had earlier taken were not helpful.¿