SINN FÉIN leader Gerry Adams praised Dr FitzGerald’s work to advance social legislation, while acknowledging that the party disagreed with him on other issues.
Mr Adams said as taoiseach, cabinet minister and long-serving TD, Dr FitzGerald had played a very significant role in Irish politics in the 1970s and 1980s.
“Obviously, Sinn Féin profoundly disagreed with him on key and fundamental issues, particularly around the issue of partition, the role of the British government in Ireland, political censorship and the treatment of republican prisoners,” he added.
“However, these differences are widely known and there is no need to dwell on them this morning.’’
Mr Adams said Sinn Féin did agree with Dr FitzGerald on other issues, “especially on social matters and Garret played a very positive role in seeking to set aside deeply conservative social legislation in this State, such as the denial of the right to divorce”.
