An outspoken and industrious politician, Mr Jim Mitchell (56) had a distinguished career as a Dublin TD for 25 years. He had a reputation for being unselfish, in particular by allowing other Fine Gael candidates into his constituency, writes Joe Humphreys.
A former minister for justice, and Fine Gael deputy leader, he was perhaps best known in recent years for his chairmanship of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee in its investigation of the DIRT scandal.
While he sometimes fell foul of the Fine Gael leadership, he was a strong electoral performer until he lost his seat in Dublin Central in the last general election.
Throughout his career, he struggled under the shadow of carcinoid cancer, a rare form of the disease. He underwent surgery to remove tumours in January 1977 but as he prepared for the DIRT inquiry in 1999 they resurfaced, and he had to have a liver transplant in September, 2000. Cancer had been a scourge in his family. His father died of it when he was just 10 years old. His sister, Anne, and brother, Peter, also died of cancer in their 40s.
Mr Mitchell was born in Inchicore, Dublin, in October 1946, the seventh of 10 children. He was educated at James's Street CBS, Inchicore's Vocational School and the College of Commerce, Rathmines. It was there one day, aged 14, that he put up his hand in class and told the principal he wanted to be a politician. Even though there was no family history of politics, it was in his blood, and in time, his brother, Gay, would express the same ambition.
First, however, he followed in his family's footsteps by joining the Guinness brewery. He successfully took the entrance examination when he was 14 and worked at the brewery while finishing his Leaving Certificate. He went on to do computer studies by night at Trinity College, Dublin.
Mr Mitchell was elected to Dublin City Council in 1974 and two years later became the youngest lord mayor of Dublin at the age of 29. He was also alderman of the council between 1979 and 1981, and continued to serve on it until 1994.
He won his first Dáil seat in 1977 in the three-seat constituency of Dublin-Ballyfermot. He was subsequently elected for Dublin West and switched to Dublin Central in 1992.
He had a reputation for being unselfish in politics, in particular by allowing other Fine Gael candidates into his constituency. In 1973, he agreed not to contest the general election in Ballyfermot to make way for Mr Declan Costello.
Mr Mitchell served as minister for justice in the short-lived coalition from June 1981 to March 1982 and was responsible for transport and post and telegraphs between 1982 and 1984, and communications between 1984 and 1987.
He had been party spokesman on social welfare, environment, labour and justice. But it was his role as chairman of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee inquiry into DIRT tax avoidance that earned him the most praise. The inquiry's success in netting in excess of £173 million in unpaid tax was lauded by all parties.
Before the 1997 general election Mr Mitchell announced his intention to retire from politics and to devote more time to his interests in the private sector. However, he was encouraged to change his mind, he later said, for the sake of the party.
His relationship with the Fine Gael leadership was not always trouble-free. In 1987, he strongly criticised the then leader Mr Alan Dukes for agreeing to the so-called Tallaght Strategy, where Fine Gael promised not to oppose tough fiscal measures taken by the minority Fianna Fáil administration.
A constant critic of Mr John Bruton, he famously described the then party leader as having a "charismatic deficit", and was central in the final push which led to Mr Bruton's departure.
In February 2001, Mr Mitchell put his own name forward for the leadership, and controversially commissioned a private opinion poll to support his case. His campaign was unsuccessful and he became deputy leader under Mr Michael Noonan.
Mr Mitchell's last election experience was not a happy one. He was widely criticised for promising compensation to taxi- drivers and Eircom shareholders, while preaching financial rectitude. To add to his woes, he broke two bones in his foot in a fall while canvassing.
Mr Mitchell's propensity to get into hot water over his outbursts was never more evident than in March 1994 when he was ordered before the Dáil Committee on Procedures and Privileges to explain controversial remarks on the then attorney general Mr Harry Whelehan and the alleged politicising of the judiciary.
Sometimes members of his own party took offence, like in May 2001 when he proposed accommodating people waiting on housing lists in "floatels".
In March that year he became embroiled in the controversy over a $50,000 Esat Digifone donation which ended up in Fine Gael party headquarters in 1995, around the time the second mobile phone licence was awarded.
Mr Mitchell, who had worked as a consultant to a number of clients including Esat Digifone, had to issue a statement denying knowledge "of this or any similar contribution to Fine Gael" by the parties involved.
Throughout his career, Mr Mitchell described his political motivation as a desire "to achieve social justice".
Mr Mitchell had been living in Terenure, south Dublin, and is survived by his wife, Patricia Kenny, two sons and three daughters.