Niall Andrews: Niall Andrews, who has died aged 69, served as a Fianna Fáil Member of the European Parliament for 20 years, specialising in human rights and overseas development issues. He had also been a member of the Dáil for 10 years, representing Dublin South, and served briefly as a junior minister.
He had the distinction of never losing an election in a political career which spanned almost 30 years. A tall, ruggedly built man who resembled his father, CS (Todd) Andrews, Niall Andrews was a maverick figure who sometimes made headlines for the wrong reasons but became the Irish politician with probably the most extensive knowledge of the Third World and its human rights issues.
The many tributes following his death this week emphasised, as the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, put it, his "passionate commitment to human rights around the world". The Government chief whip, Tom Kitt, who succeeded Andrews as a Fianna Fáil TD in Dublin South in 1987, described him as "a great character, a passionate republican and a consistent advocate for the cause of the marginalised at home and abroad".
Niall Andrews was born in Dublin on August 19th, 1937. His father, Todd, and his mother, Mary Coyle from Co Derry, had been active republicans in the War of Independence and the Civil War during which both had been on hunger strike. Niall was educated at Synge St CBS and Presentation College, Bray, Co Wicklow.
After working for a time in the Irish Press, he emigrated to the United States where he worked in television in the 1950s. He was then conscripted into the US army. Because of his knowledge of shorthand, he was assigned to a high-ranking officer who was investigating complaints of soldiers serving in South Korea and Japan.
On returning to Ireland he took up an executive post with RTÉ and in 1977 followed the example of his older brother, David, by entering politics. He was elected for the then Dublin South County constituency, topping the poll. He and his brother, who represented Dún Laoghaire, were seen as liberal on then sensitive issues such as contraception and divorce. Both would have been regarded as in the George Colley camp when he and Charles Haughey contested the leadership in 1979.
Niall Andrews later became a staunch defender of Mr Haughey at the time of the first "heave" against him in the form of a motion of no-confidence by then backbencher, Charlie McCreevy. Andrews condemned this action as "the single most destructive step by any deputy since the founding of the party". Soon afterwards, Andrews was promoted to Minister of State for the Department of the Environment but he was out of a job a month later when Fianna Fáil went out of office.
In 1984 he opted to run for the European Parliament in Dublin and was easily elected. He had already shown interest in international issues, visiting El Salvador and criticising US involvement on the side of the right-wing regime.
He had also organised a 24-hour fast outside the US embassy in Dublin protesting against American support for the so-called Contra rebels in Nicaragua. As a member of the Council of Europe he had visited Turkey and inspected prisons there.
As an MEP he was part of the European Democratic Alliance grouping the Gaullist and Fianna Fáil members. Andrews was unhappy at times with what he saw as the "right wing" attitude of the Gaullists towards Central America, nuclear issues and human rights. After barely a year in the European Parliament he predicted that Fianna Fáil would be seeking "new allies" after the next election. He was quickly brought into line.
He also made headlines with an interview he gave to Hot Press in August 1986. It was strong stuff in which he criticised Catholic Church influence over the affairs of the Oireachtas and admitted he was "not a very strong Catholic". When asked about prostitution in Dublin, he advocated the legalisation of it as in other European cities, saying it meant there would be less risk of disease. He said he personally did not approve of prostitution.
Nell McCafferty then wrote a highly critical column about the interview in the Irish Press to which Andrews and his family took grave offence, especially the reference to him as a "connoisseur of red light districts" and to his experience in the US army.
He sued his former employer and the case created much publicity when it was heard in the High Court in June 1989. The newspaper settled the action for an undisclosed amount, which was reported to be £20,000 in damages and £17,500 in costs.
In the European Parliament, Andrews was able to pursue his interest in Third World issues and human rights. He served for much of his time there on the Development and Co-operation Committee.
He also kept his eye on Irish issues and campaigned on behalf of the Birmingham Six until their release. He attended the trial of the so-called Colombia Three in Bogota and protested against their conditions of imprisonment as well as dubious judicial procedures.
During his last term in the Parliament, he made frequent trips to Iraq to investigate the effect of UN sanctions on the health of children. He helped organise humanitarian aid flights from Ireland to Iraq.
He once described his proudest achievement as: "I made the Third World an issue."
Andrews was an uncle of Barry Andrews, a Fianna Fáil TD in Dún Laoghaire, and of Ryan Tubridy, the RTÉ presenter. His son, Chris, is a Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin South-East.
He is survived by his wife, Bernadette; son, Chris; daughters, Niamh and Kate; brothers, Hugh and David, and sister Catherine.
Niall Andrews: Born August 19th, 1937; died October 16th, 2006