Former Irish foreign affairs minister David Andrews has been remembered for his contributions to peace and humanitarian efforts during his funeral service in Co Dublin. Andrews, who died at the age of 91, was a key figure in the negotiations of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
Eulogy Highlights Family and Political Legacy
Barry Andrews, Mr Andrews’ son and Fianna Fáil MEP, delivered a eulogy speaking of his father’s love for his family and wife, and their “enormous pride” in his political career. He noted that if his father had done nothing else in his career, the peace deal was enough to cement a lasting legacy, but he did much else.
Among the hundreds attending the service at St John the Baptist Church in Blackrock were Taoiseach Micheál Martin, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy, Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien, and former president Michael D Higgins, who worked alongside Andrews for decades on humanitarian issues.
Political Career and Good Friday Agreement
Andrews was first elected as a TD in 1965 for the Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown constituency. He became a junior minister in 1970 but remained a backbencher during Charles Haughey’s tenure, openly criticizing Haughey. Under Albert Reynolds, Andrews joined the cabinet as minister for foreign affairs, a post he returned to in 1997 during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations.
He was one of four signatories to the 1998 agreement, alongside Bertie Ahern, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam. A signed copy of the peace deal was among the items brought to the altar to commemorate his life.
Humanitarian Work and Family
Barry Andrews also highlighted his father’s campaign for justice for the Guildford Four, securing a seat for Ireland at the United Nations Security Council, and developing social housing in his constituency. He described his father’s empathy, which informed his sense of injustice regarding Irish prisoners in English jails.
Despite his political achievements, Barry said Mr Andrews’ “main passion in life was for his family” and his nine grandchildren. He also paid tribute to Annette Andrews, his mother, who he said was the “driving force” behind his father’s electoral success, joking that she was merely the brains behind it.
