The death has taken place of Lieut Gen Gerald (Gerry) O’Sullivan, a former chief of staff of the Defence Forces.
Lieut Gen O’Sullivan was born in 1923 in Dublin, where his father was a Garda superintendent. He was educated at Synge Street and graduated from army cadet school in the early 1940s, becoming an officer towards the end of the second World War.
He dedicated his entire career to the Army, spending much of his service abroad serving on United Nations missions.
He served in the Congo in 1961 with General Seán McKeown, then commander of the UN forces.
Lieut Gen O’Sullivan also had a long connection with Cyprus, which he first visited in 1965.
He served with one of the early Irish contingents posted there, and returned in 1971 where he was liaison officer between the UN and the Greek National Guard.
He was recalled to Cyprus in 1974 following the Turkish invasion in order to deal with the humanitarian crisis.
Lieut Gen O’Sullivan was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work in Cyprus, and he was also decorated by the Cypriot government for his humanitarian services.
Cypriot foreign minister George Iacovou presented Lieut Gen O’Sullivan with the Grand Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Cyprus at a ceremony in Dublin in 2006.
The Cypriot minister recalled a senior military officer whose handling of an acute crisis was “both assertive but also humane”.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lieut Gen O’Sullivan worked in military intelligence. He played a small role in the 1970 Arms Trial as the person who effected the military arrest of Capt James Kelly, the Irish army officer charged with illegally importing arms into the State.
Following his return from Cyprus, he held various commands in Dublin and was appointed chief of staff of the Defence Forces in April 1984, serving until his retirement in February 1986.
Mr O’Sullivan died this morning. He is survived by his wife Philomena and his son David, who is director general of the European Commission’s trade directorate.