The President has led the tributes to former Minister Mary O'Rourke who has died at the age of 87.
Michael D Higgins said she had a shrewd and magnetic approach to politics and politicians. She was first elected to the Dáil as a Fianna Fáil TD in 1982 and served as Deputy Leader of the party from 1994 to 2002. She served as Education Minister and Health Minister among other portfolios under different Governments and represented both the Westmeath and Longford/Westmeath constituencies. Fianna Fail Deputy Robert Troy who ran on the same general election ticket in 2011 said she was a formidable hardworking politician
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