The Taoiseach led tributes from all political parties yesterday to the former Cork East Labour TD, Joe Sherlock, who has died after a short illness.
Mr Sherlock (71), who had been in failing health in recent years, retired before the general election in May in which his son, Sean, retained his seat.
Married with three children, Mr Sherlock was born in Kildorrery, Co Cork in 1935 and educated at the local national school. He worked for the Irish Sugar company for 18 years and is a former secretary of the Siptu Mallow Branch (No 2).
He had a varied political career with Sinn Féin-the Workers Party, Democratic Left and then Labour. He was elected to Mallow Urban District Council in 1967 and Cork County Council in 1974 and unsuccessfully contested the general elections of 1973 and 1977 and the by-elections in 1974 and 1979.
Mr Sherlock won his first Dáil seat for Sinn Féin-the Workers Party in June 1981 and was re-elected in 1983. He was re-elected in the 1987 and 1989 elections as a Workers Party deputy but lost in 1992 when he ran for Democratic Left.
Mr Sherlock was elected to the Seanad on the Labour Panel in 1992 and served until 1997. He stood unsuccessfully for the Dáil that year, but was elected in May 2002 as a Labour Party candidate.
A tireless worker in his constituency, Mr Sherlock's most high-profile campaign was the successful battle he fought to retain Mallow General Hospital. He also led the protest at the closure of the Mallow sugar factory.
Bertie Ahern said he was deeply saddened to learn of Mr Sherlock's death. "Joe's life was one of great public service. That he served the people of Mallow and Cork East for 40 years is a tribute to his exceptional commitment to public life, personal warmth and work on behalf of his constituents. He was a true gentleman of Irish politics."
The new leader of the Labour Party, Eamon Gilmore, said he was "shocked and saddened" by Mr Sherlock's death. "Joe was a warm friend and a wonderful colleague over many years and his death will be greatly felt both in the Labour Party and among the people of Mallow," he said.
Mr Gilmore said Mr Sherlock's entire life was driven by a sense of public duty - in the trade union movement, on local authorities and in the Dáil and Seanad.
Labour MEP and former Workers Party and Democratic Left leader Prionsias De Rossa called Mr Sherlock an excellent public representative who fought tirelessly for a better Ireland.
He said as a young man, having seen the futility of IRA violence in the early 1960s, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the 1962 ceasefire and the reform of the republican movement towards more engagement on the social issues that faced working people.
He was one of the first public representatives elected for Sinn Féin in the 1967 local elections and continued building his support among the people of Cork East as the party transformed itself into the Workers Party, being elected as the party's first TD in 1981.
Cork East TD David Stanton (FG) said Mr Sherlock was an institution in East Cork and a resolute defender of his people. Cork East Senator Paul Bradford (FG) said "commitment" was Mr Sherlock's middle name.
Mr Sherlock is survived by his wife Ellen, and his children, Joseph, Una and Sean.