Albert Reynolds, former Irish taoiseach, dies aged 81
Source: The Guardian
Albert Reynolds, the Irish premier who made biggest gamble of his long political career when he and John Major secured an IRA ceasefire 20 years ago this month, has died aged 81.
His family said the former taoiseach, who had Alzheimer's disease, died at about 3am on Thursday. Major – his co-partner in the drive to secure the ceasefire and push the peace process ahead in the early 1990s – was one of the last politicians from either side of the Irish Sea to visit him, last December.
Reynolds was Fianna Fáil prime minister in coalitions first with the Progressive Democrats and later the Irish Labour party.
A one-time promoter of country music gigs who later ran a pet food manufacturer, Reynolds pledged that peace in Northern Ireland would be his priority when he was elected taoiseach in 1993.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/21/albert-reynolds-former-irish-taoiseach-dies
Irish Times coverage:
Obituary: Straight-talking businessman rose to the top of Irish politics
Tributes paid to former taoiseach and ‘dealmaker’ Albert Reynolds
Irish Independent: Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds dies aged 81
BBC: Albert Reynolds: Former Irish prime minister dies
NY Times: Albert Reynolds, Ex-Prime Minister of Ireland, Dies at 81
Reuters: Former Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds dies, aged 81
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