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Ireland announces state funeral arrangements for former prime minister

22 August 2014 00:51 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Ireland on Thursday announced arrangements for the state funeral of former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Albert Reynolds, APA reports quoting local media.

In a statement, the Irish government said Reynolds will lie in repose in the Oak Room, Mansion House, County Dublin from 1-6 p.m. on Saturday.

Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Members of the public will have an opportunity to file past the coffin and pay their respects to the late Reynolds and sign a book of condolences, it said.

The funeral of Reynolds will take place on Monday in the Sacred Heart Church, Donnybrook, County Dublin at 12 p.m., followed by the burial in Shanganagh Cemetery in Shankill, County Dublin.

Flags are being flown at half-mast on all government buildings until after the funeral, said the government statement.

The former Taoiseach, who played an important part in the Northern Ireland peace process, died in the early hours of Thursday morning after a long illness. He was 81 years old.

Reynolds is survived by his wife Kathleen, two sons and five daughters.

His family said last year that he had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Reynolds served as prime minister from February 1992 to December 1994. As prime minister, one of Reynolds's main achievements was the advancement in the Northern Ireland peace process.

"As Taoiseach, he played an important part in bringing together differing strands of political opinion in Northern Ireland and as a consequence made an important contribution to the development of the peace process which eventually lead to the Good Friday Agreement," Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said.

The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s. The agreement is made up of two inter-related documents, both agreed in Belfast on Good Friday, April 10, 1998.

Reynolds was born in Rooskey in County Roscommon, 134 km from Dublin. Before entering politics, he was involved in the dance hall and pet food businesses. He was elected a member of parliament in 1977 at the age of 45. In the 1980s, he became minister for finance.