Labour leader Eamon Gilmore today paid tribute to his former party colleague Joe Sherlock at the funeral of the Cork politician in Mallow, Co Cork.
Mr Sherlock died on Monday aged 71.
Speaking at the graveside, Mr Gilmore said the former TD had a fierce sense of commitment to the people of north Cork and particularly to the less well-off.
"Joe's entire life was driven by a sense of public duty. At every level he always put the interests of others first," Mr Gilmore said.
"There could be no greater contrast between the selflessness of Joe Sherlock on the one hand and the shameful, self-serving activities of a small minority who have besmirched the name of politics in recent decades, on the other.
"He was a fearless battler of the bureaucracy that he saw time and time again depriving people of their just entitlements, particularly in the areas of health and housing".
A former Irish Sugar worker and Siptu official, Mr Sherlock was married with three children.
He was elected to Mallow Urban District Council as a Sinn Féin representative in 1967 and to Cork County Council in 1974.
The TD was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1981 as a member of the Workers' Party. He lost his seat in 1982 but was re-elected in 1987, holding his seat until 1992, when he failed to secure election as a Democratic Left candidate.
He was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1993 as a Labour Party member, serving until 1997.
Mr Sherlock was re-elected to the Dáil for the Labour Party in 2002. He stood down from his seat prior to last May's election, and his son Seán was elected to succeed him.