Former Irish minister dies of cancer

The former Irish finance minister Brian Lenihan has died in Dublin, aged 52.

He had been suffering from cancer but continued to work and signed Ireland’s international bailout deal while still serving as finance minister late last year.

Lenihan had been deputy leader of the then ruling party Fianna Fail which lost power after Ireland’s general election in February.

He had been fighting pancreatic cancer since December 2009 and died in the early hours of Friday at his house in Dublin. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Lenihan was a member of a political dynasty with his father Brian, brother Conor and aunt Mary O’Rourke all serving in Irish governments.

O’Rourke said of his death: “I just feel my life has almost ended, I really do.”

Leaders across the political divide have been paying tribute.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said he was “deeply saddened” by Lenihan’s death.

“Brian has fought a brave and courageous battle with a serious illness over the past 18 months,” he added. “In all of this time, Brian never once flinched from his public duties and he showed an unceasing and untiring commitment to tackling the economic crisis facing this country.”

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny — leader of the rival Fine Gael party — has described Lenihan as “a decent man, a fine public representative and someone I was proud to know.”

The Irish President Mary McAleese said: “As minister for finance, Brian had to confront challenges, the scale and gravity of which were unprecedented in the history of the state. Despite his illness, he faced up to those challenges with extraordinary but characteristic dignity, courage and good humor.”

European Union Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said Lenihan “will always be held in the highest esteem by those who worked with him in Europe.” He added: “It is a loss that will be shared by many people who had the honor to know him.”