Dublin tributes: The Taoiseach and Opposition leaders yesterday paid tribute to the Gerry Fitt as a passionate advocate of civil rights and a non-violent solution in Northern Ireland.
Mr Ahern said Lord Fitt had made a significant contribution to constitutional politics and civil rights in Northern Ireland "during a long and brave career in the wider labour movement and as a public representative. Through turbulent times at the height of the Troubles he provided leadership to constitutional nationalists and an example to people of every creed.
"He was a man who practised the message of moderation and tolerance that he courageously preached. He was often in the front line of the Troubles and he experienced violence at first hand from both sides of the divide in the North."
Lord Fitt had "a deep-seated commitment to equality and basic fair play that stemmed from his strong socialist beliefs. Above all he abhorred sectarianism and violence."
He said history would record that Gerry Fitt had played his part by word, deed and example in the search for a peaceful settlement in the North. He, his late wife Ann, and their children gave selfless public service to their community and to politics on these islands.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny described Lord Fitt as "a truly remarkable politician who made a huge contribution to the creation and development of democratic nationalism in Northern Ireland. As a founder member and first leader of the SDLP he gave the nationalist population a vehicle to achieve civil rights and equality through politics."
He had demonstrated huge courage in his steadfast opposition to all paramilitary violence "and in exposing the criminality in which the Provisional movement was engaged".
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte described Lord Fitt as one of the most important figures of the last 50 years in Irish political life.
"In the 1960s he put Labour politics on the map in Northern Ireland, through his activism at grassroots level and subsequent election to Belfast City Council, Stormont, and Westminster." He had been a strong and passionate advocate of civil rights at a time when unionists failed to recognise or respond to calls for such rights.
"He also demonstrated great personal courage in the face of worsening sectarianism." Mr Rabbitte said the high point of Lord Fitt's career was the signing of the Sunningdale Agreement and his subsequent five-month tenure as deputy chief executive of the power-sharing executive in 1974. "Despite the failure of Sunningdale it remained the template for a peaceful settlement in the North, and formed much of the basis of the Good Friday agreement.
"I hope that political leaders in Northern Ireland today will reflect on the bravery and commitment of Gerry Fitt as they attempt to move politics forward."
Former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald said: "Gerry Fitt was a tough grassroots politician endowed with indomitable courage and motivated by a deep commitment to social justice. No one who knew him in the 1970s could fail to pay tribute to his commitment to creating a just society in Northern Ireland."
He said the SDLP had "brought into politics a talented team committed to creating in Northern Ireland by peaceful means and no other, a society free from discrimination and committed to social justice. He brought nationalists, even if only briefly, into government in Northern Ireland and it was certainly not his fault that that government fell in May 1974.
"He did not fit in easily to a society dominated by sectarianism, which he excoriated. An individualist, he did not find it easy to work with others, and it was perhaps not surprising that after some years he withdrew from the leadership of his party and went his own way."