The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, led the political tributes to the former chief justice, Mr Liam Hamilton, yesterday. He said the Government had learned with great sadness of his death.
"Throughout his career, Liam Hamilton has demonstrated a sense of justice, humanity and preparedness to serve the Irish people.
"In his career, he has been in turn a public servant who served the people, a barrister who specialised in appearing for working men and women, a judge of the High Court, president of the High Court, presiding judge of the Special Criminal Court and finally chief justice of Ireland," Mr Ahern said in a statement.
The Taoiseach said Mr Hamilton served the Irish people as the sole member of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Beef Processing Industry for three years, as chairman of the Constituency Review Board, and as the author of an important report on crowd safety, and more recently on the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin/Monaghan bombings.
Mr Hamilton, he said, was "approachable, compassionate and keenly aware of the need for justice to protect the weak from the strong. As a judge he was practical and friendly and conscious of human weakness. He exercised the judicial power of the State with humility and compassion."
Mr Ahern regretted that a life of public service had not led to a lengthy and well-deserved retirement for Mr Hamilton. "To his family, and particularly to his loyal and much loved wife, Maeve, and his children, I wish to convey our deep sense of sorrow, sympathy and gratitude."
The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said on her behalf and on behalf of the PDs that she wished to express her deep sadness.
"Liam Hamilton had a distinguished career, culminating with his appointment to the position of chief justice. His ongoing commitment to public service was evident in his willing acceptance recently of the Government's request that he lead the inquiry into the Dublin/Monaghan bombings. He displayed great dedication to the task during his short tenure."
The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, described Mr Hamilton as "a very humane judge" of courage and sympathy who would be remembered with great affection by many people.
"He was a person with a deep sympathy for people. He was obviously a courageous man as seen, for instance, in the way in which he handled the difficult questions surrounding the Sheedy case. It had to be very difficult for him because he was dealing with people who were colleagues and friends, members of the judiciary," he said.
"But he was able to separate those personal feelings from his institutional responsibility, and I am sure that is the case in other aspects of his work as well."
The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said he was saddened to hear of the death. "Liam Hamilton brought vigour and an enormous capacity for work to the High and Supreme Courts," he said.
"Throughout his years there, and as president of both courts, he was always concerned to improve and adapt their procedures, to cope with the explosion in public demand for the services of the courts."
The former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, said he had known Mr Hamilton "for many long years".
"I have always found him warm and friendly in his private capacity and courageous and fair in the administration of his public duties as president of the High Court, presiding judge of the Special Criminal Court and chief justice of Ireland," Mr Reynolds said."