Politicians of all parties, led by the Taoiseach and the Fine Gael leader, have paid exceptionally warm tributes to the former Fine Gael TD and Cabinet minister, Mr Jim Mitchell, who died yesterday aged 56 after a long illness.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, said it was "a sad day" for the party. "We have lost a loyal and immensely talented colleague. But we have lost too a great friend and a good man. Jim Mitchell was a conviction politician. But he was, above all, a Fine Gaeler and therefore, an always proud defender of the national interest over party, sectional or self-interest."
He said that in a 25-year career in national politics, Mr Mitchell had "served his country, his people and his party with unfailing courage, passion and integrity".
During his time as minister for communications, minister for transport, post and telegraphs and minister for justice, he had acted with "characteristic sound judgment, probity and good sense".
"In opposition, he was both tireless and fearless, holding numerous front-bench positions. As a councillor, he kept close contact with the people of Dublin.
"He was one of their own and they made him their youngest-ever lord mayor. His participation in Irish politics was always for the right reasons and he dominated the political stage in Dublin with a giant presence.
Mr Kenny said Mr Mitchell had been a committed and respected European, involved in both the Irish Council of the European Movement and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
"But it was as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee that Jim Mitchell shone most recently. Truth and accountability were his watchwords, and in the name of the people, he demanded them, doggedly and with laudable success, from the country's financial elite," said the Fine Gael leader.
"Jim's illness was to mark a different phase of life. A new liver brought much longed-for bonus days for him and for Patsy and their five children. As a deeply committed Catholic, he had no fear of his onward journey, and his courage in the face of serious illness was truly outstanding.
"Today, in love and pain, the family's loss is deep. I extend our deepest sympathy to Patsy, the children, Ruairí, Sinéad, Neil, Aoife and Caitríona, the wider family and of course to our colleague and dear friend, Gay Mitchell, who has lost a much-loved brother."
Quoting the poet Patrick Kavanagh, Mr Kenny said: "I closed mine eyes, And thro' the blue, Rose tinted skies, Dream-winged I flew, To join the wise, The fair, the true."
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said Mr Mitchell had "fought against the odds all his political life", building in the process a political base for Fine Gael in Ballyfermot and Dublin West.
"At the height of his electoral success he brought in three Fine Gael TDs out of five in the former Dublin West constituency in the 1980s. He served as a minister in both of the governments led by Dr Garret FitzGerald. These achievements and his appeal to the communities he represented were based on unstinting hard work for those who elected him."
Describing him as "a formidable parliamentarian", Mr Ahern said Mr Mitchell had "vigorously held to account those who administered the public purse in trust for the people" during his time as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
While others might have slowed down or bowed out, he ran the race to the end. "He was an outstandingly dedicated servant of the people who elected him. He served in government with distinction. He believed in using the Dáil to hold the government and the institutions of the State to account," said Mr Ahern, who first was elected alongside Mr Mitchell in the Dublin Central constituency in 1977.
The former Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, said Mr Mitchell's early passing was "a great loss to Ireland".
"Jim will be rightly remembered as an outstanding TD, an excellent minister, a lord mayor who brought new life to the Mansion House, a ground-breaking chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, and a dedicated and accomplished deputy leader of Fine Gael," he added.
"I will also remember the Jim who was so warm and supportive, so witty in company, so idealistic in his beliefs and so composed and brave in his final illness," he said.
The former Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, said Mr Mitchell had laid the foundations, as minister for communications, for the liberalisation of air traffic in and out of Ireland.
"Secondly, he helped bring about the establishment of An Post, and Telecom Éireann as independent entities, enabling Ireland to participate so successfully in the information revolution that occurred later."
In more recent times, Mr Mitchell had, in a document called "A Democratic Revolution" proposed major reform of the Dáil, which would make accountability a reality in Irish political life. If the reforms are ever enacted, Mr Bruton said, they would guarantee that Irish politics "will have much less need of expensive tribunals or constant worry about standards in public life".
The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said he had learnt of Mr Mitchell's death with great sadness.
"Jim was an exceptional politician who won the respect and admiration of politicians across all political parties and will be greatly missed right across the political spectrum.
"He had a particular belief in and commitment to the primacy of parliament, as he demonstrated to particular effect in his role as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
"He was one of those unique members of the Oireachtas who influenced the direction of public policy through the sheer strength of his convictions."
Mr Mitchell had always believed that most of the tribunals of inquiry held since the beef industry probe had resulted "from failures of parliamentary accountability and the refusal of successive governments to properly resource parliament, as distinct from the executive".
The leader of the Green Party, Mr Trevor Sargent, said he would always remember Mr Mitchell as a man ever helpful to new TDs. "He was always willing to lend a helping hand to new TDs entering the Dáil. He never allowed his seniority to cloud his eagerness to help," he said.
The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Fine Gael TD Mr John Perry, said Mr Mitchell would go down in history as the PAC's most outstanding chairman. "He was fearless in taking on vested interests in society where he saw the necessity to do so, often at considerable inconvenience to himself.
"That [DIRT inquiry\] report proved the invaluable role that public representatives can play when given proper leadership and direction. He brought together public representatives from all political divides to work for the common good and he commanded huge respect at all levels of society."
The chairman of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, Mr Tom Hayes, expressed sympathy on behalf of all Fine Gael TDs, senators and MEPs. "Jim Mitchell was a man who was extremely dedicated to public service. He relished the job of looking after the underprivileged in society and had a unique loyalty to, and pride in, those he represented."
His Dublin Central constituency colleague, Mr Joe Costello, said he had known Mr Mitchell in and out of power. "Throughout all those years, I knew Jim to be one of the kindest and most sincere people in Irish politics. His devotion in particular to his constituents, firstly in Dublin Ballyfermot, then in Dublin West and later in Dublin Central, was second to none."
The removal of Mr Mitchell's remains will take place this evening from his home, to arrive at St Joseph's Church, Terenure, Dublin, at 7 p.m. Requiem Mass is at noon tomorrow, followed by burial at Mount Venus cemetery, Rockbrook, Rathfarnham.