Funeral of former minister David Andrews held in Dublin, remembered for Good Friday Agreement role
Family, political leaders, and former president Michael D Higgins gathered in Blackrock, Dublin, to pay tribute to the former foreign affairs minister and signatory of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Funeral service in Blackrock
Mourners filled St John the Baptist Church in Blackrock, Co Dublin, on Saturday for the funeral mass of David Andrews, who died on Wednesday at 91. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former president Michael D Higgins, Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien, and former RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy were among the attendees. Andrews was buried at the nearby Dean's Grange cemetery.
If he did nothing else in his career that was enough to cement a lasting legacy - and he did much else.
Eulogy by his son
Barry Andrews, a Fianna Fáil MEP, delivered the eulogy, mixing humour with reflections on his father's public life. He noted the family had been touched by tributes emphasising integrity. He recalled a story of his father meeting Muhammad Ali while serving as government chief whip in the early 1970s: when Andrews told the boxer his title, Ali replied, "I'll whip you!"
Many people commented over the last few days about his integrity.
Political career and the peace process
Andrews was first elected to the Dáil in 1965 for Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown. He became government chief whip in 1970 but spent the 1980s on the backbenches due to his opposition to Charles Haughey. Under Albert Reynolds, he joined the cabinet as minister for foreign affairs, a post he held again in 1997 during the negotiations that produced the Good Friday Agreement. He was one of four signatories to the 1998 deal, alongside Ahern, UK prime minister Tony Blair, and Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam.
- Born in Dublin, son of Fianna Fáil figure Todd Andrews.
- Elected to Dáil Éireann for Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown.
- Appointed government chief whip.
- Becomes minister for foreign affairs under Albert Reynolds.
- Returns as minister for foreign affairs in Bertie Ahern's first government.
- Signs the Good Friday Agreement.
- Dies aged 91.
Humanitarian legacy
Beyond Northern Ireland, Andrews was known for advocacy on human rights. He campaigned for the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six, and worked with Michael D Higgins on Palestinian rights, travelling together to the Middle East. He also visited Somalia during the famine with Mary Robinson. President Catherine Connolly described him as "a politician of great integrity, who committed a significant part of his life to the cause of human rights."
Personal touches
Symbols of his life brought to the altar included a fishing rod representing his love of Connemara and a signed copy of the Good Friday Agreement. Barry Andrews said his father had a fun sense of humour and a warm, giving nature, joking that he had an arrangement with constituents: "I won't bother them if they won't bother me."
