The former Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ben Briscoe, has died aged 89.
The Fianna Fail politician held the office of Lord Mayor from 1988 to 1989 like his father, Robert, who was the Lord Mayor from 1961 to 1962 and 1956 to 1957. The duo was the only father and son to occupy office.
Mr Briscoe's career as a TD spanned 37 years, starting in 1965 where he went on to hold the post until 2002. He was first elected to the Dail in the Dublin South-West constituency at the 1965 general election.
He was a part of the Jewish community in Dublin. Tanaiste Micheal Martin paid tribute to Mr Briscoe who "is remembered fondly by all who served with him". He said: "Popular across all parties because of his good humour and decency, he was a stalwart of our democratic parliament.
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"The Southside Dublin communities which he so proudly represented had in Ben a champion who was always focused on securing support for those most in need. He hated destructive politics and felt that it was the duty of all representatives to try to work together.
"On many occasions, he would insist that colleagues from other parties be included in debates and he never sought an unfair advantage.
"Ben grew up in a large family of exceptional siblings, including his late brother Joe who was one of the longest ever holders of a commission in our defence forces. Ben learned from his family a deep republicanism and pride in Ireland’s history and in the Jewish heritage of his family."
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