Tributes have been paid following the death of Dr Rory O'Hanlon at the age of 92.
The former Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD was born in Dublin in 1934 and grew up in Mullaghbawn, Co Armagh, before graduating in medicine from University College Dublin in 1959.
In 1965, the Local Appointments Commission sent him to work as a General Practitioner (GP) in Carrickmacross, where he worked for the County Council.
He served on the North Eastern Health Board from 1971 to 1987, Monaghan County Council from 1979 to 1987, and was also Chair of the Fianna Fáil's Monaghan County Executive.
Dr Rory O'Hanlon served as the Minister for Health from 1987 to 1991. He was first elected to the Dáil in 1977 and later served as Minister for the Environment from 1991- 1992 before announcing his retirement in 2010.
Local TD Brendan Smith worked alongside Dr O'Hanlon and was very saddened to learn of the passing of his good friend and long time colleague in politics.
Deputy Smith paid tribute to Dr. O'Hanlon.
"I have to say he was a great colleague to work with both at local level here in the constituency in Cavan/ Monaghan and at national level as well. Even when Rory retired from politics in 2011, he still kept very active in the Fianna Fáil organisation. He would regularly visit me in the Dáil, we would discuss issues, we went to Northern Ireland on a number of occasions together to meet up with different groups and bring back different issues for the attention of the Fianna Fáil party nationally and for the attention of the government of the day as well. To Rory's wife Teresa and all his family, my sincere sympathy at this very sad time."
