Tributes paid to Mary Kerrigan, former barrister, journalist and political adviser

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has paid tribute to barrister, journalist and political adviser Mary Kerrigan, who has died in Dublin after an illness.

From Sligo town, Ms Kerrigan was Fianna Fáil press director under the leadership of then taoiseach Albert Reynolds after a journalism career with the Irish Press titles.

She went on to practise as a barrister, was a member of the Brussels cabinet of EU commissioner Charlie McCreevy and worked also at the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg.

She was codirector for two years with Celia Larkin, one-time partner of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, in the Beauty at Blue Door beauty salon business. She was also a member of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.

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“I knew Mary for many years and she always sincere and great fun when she worked with Fianna Fáil in Leinster House,” Mr Martin said, noting she lived life to the full. “She loved politics and of course journalism. I enjoyed meeting her at our last ardfheis.”

Mary Kerrigan began her career as a journalist with the Sligo Champion and spent 15 years with the Evening Press and Sunday Press.

Between 1992 and 1995 she was spokeswoman for Fianna Fáil, years marked by Mr Reynolds’ term as taoiseach in a rocky coalition with Labour and the fledgling peace process.

After leaving that Fianna Fáil post, she briefly returned to the Irish Press organisation as deputy editor of the Sunday title, only to see the paper close within a fortnight in the lockout that was soon followed by the group’s demise.

Later she was involved with the INN radio news service and the start-up paper, Ireland on Sunday.

She was called to the bar in 1998, working for nine years on the Midlands circuit and in Dublin. She was on the legal team representing then justice minister Michael McDowell and his department at the Morris tribunal in its investigation into allegations of Garda corruption in Co Donegal.

After nine years as barrister, she joined Mr McCreevy’s cabinet in 2007 for the second half of his five-year term as European internal markets commissioner.

Later she was chef-de-cabinet to Kevin Cardiff when the former Department of Finance secretary general was Ireland’s member of the European Court of Auditors. She was also in the cabinet of Eoin O’Shea, Mr Cardiff’s predecessor.

Mary Kerrigan was a patient at Blackrock Hospice, greeting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar there in March when he reopened the facility after a refurbishment. She died on Tuesday, her family by her side. She was survived by her mother Maura, sister Majella Fetherstonhaugh and brother Peter.