Tom Fitzpatrick, who has died aged 88, was a former Fine Gael minister and ceann comhairle who was an influential figure behind the scenes at times of party turbulence. His background as a country solicitor provided him with excellent negotiating and conciliatory skills when needed.
After a series of ministerial posts in Fine Gael governments under Garret FitzGerald, Mr Fitzpatrick was elected ceann comhairle following the November 1982 general election. He grew to love this post which took him above the cut and thrust of party politics and was proud of his ability to bring a sometimes unruly Dáil chamber to order.
Following the February 1987 election, when Fianna Fáil narrowly failed to secure an overall majority, he would have liked to continue as ceann comhairle. He was sounded out by Brian Lenihan if he would continue in the post and thus secure an extra vote for Fianna Fáil but he loyally stuck by the Fine Gael decision not to give Charles Haughey any assistance in forming his new government and the Labour TD Seán Treacy, took over the post.
Fitzpatrick retired from active politics when the next election was suddenly called in June 1989. He had already fallen into ill-health earlier that year.
He was born in Scotshouse near Clones, on February 14th, 1918. He was educated at St McCartan's college, Monaghan, and later at University College Dublin then the Incorporated Law Society where he studied to become a solicitor.
He qualified at 21 and took second place in Ireland in his final examinations.
He developed an interested in amateur drama and was a co-founder of the Cavan drama festival with Betty Cullen, who became his wife in 1946.
They had two daughters, Geraldine and Fidelma, who pre-deceased him. Betty died in 1951. In 1973, he married Carmel McDonald with whom he had a son, Tom.
He was elected to Cavan Urban District Council in 1950 and served as its chairman for many years. He entered national politics when elected a senator in 1961. In 1965 he was elected to the Dáil for Cavan and immediately appointed to the Fine Gael front bench.
When the Fine Gael-Labour coalition government was formed in 1973, he was appointed minister for lands. In a reshuffle in 1976 following the Paddy Donegan "thundering disgrace" episode (in which minister for defence Paddy Donegan publicly criticised President Cearbhaill Ó Dalaigh for referring a bill to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality), Fitzpatrick became Minister for Transport and Power.
Out of office in 1977, he was again appointed a front-bench spokesman by the new leader, Garret FitzGerald, who is said to have relied on him for political advice. At the time he was sometimes mentioned as a possible leader if a compromise figure was needed between the Cosgrave and FitzGerald wings of the party.
He also served as leader of Fine Gael in the Dáil during the brief Fine Gael-Labour coalition of 1981-82,
Mr Fitzpatrick was minister for forestry and fisheries. When that government fell, he became Fine Gael spokesman for the environment.
In retirement he continued to enjoy race meetings and walking.
Former Taoiseach John Bruton this week paid him tribute from his office in Washington where he is head of the EU Commission Delegation.
He said that Fitzpatrick "had a deep sense of public service and saw it more important than private gain. On numerous occasions he sacrificed his personal interests for the greater good of his country and party. He was both a commanding platform orator and a wise judge of politics."
He is survived by his wife, Carmel; his daughter Geraldine, son Tom and brother John.
Tom Fitzpatrick: born February 14th, 1918; died October 2nd, 2006