As TDs returned to the Dáil today, they paid tribute to former Fianna Fail taoiseach Albert Reynolds, who died last month.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that the wide range of ministerial portfolios assigned to Mr Reynolds in his early political career prepared him well for his role as taoiseach in the early 1990s.

Mr Reynolds, he said, was an able negotiator at home and in Europe in getting the best outcome for the people. “From the outset, he was passionate about peace,’’ Mr Kenny added. “A difficult and often frustrating road lay ahead but he stayed the course.’’

Tánaiste and Labour leader Joan Burton said Mr Reynolds would be best remembered for his contribution to peace process. “He was a public representative who brought an unusual amount of private sector deal-making experience to his job,’’ she added.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin said Mr Reynolds's sad passing had brought an end to a remarkable journey that ranged from the sweltering dancehalls of Longford to the corridors of power in Leinster House and Downing Street. "He was a man with a mission, determined to make his mark, a practical patriot,'' Mr Martin added.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said it was poignant that Mr Reynolds’s funeral had taken place just days before the twentieth anniversary of the groundbreaking IRA cessation.

Independent TD Finian McGrath said Mr Reynolds was a man of action and deed.