Former minister Des O'Malley has died today aged 82.
He was elected to the Dáil in 1968 as a Fianna Fail TD for Limerick and was appointed Minister for Justice in 1970.
He was expelled from the party in 1984 and went on to found the Progressive Democrats the following year.
Advertisement
Des O'Malley led the PDs into a coalition government with Fianna Fail in 1989.
He stepped down as leader in 1993 but remained a TD until he retired in 2002.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has described Mr O'Malley as a "giant of Irish politics".
Advertisement
