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Former Irish PM Charles Haughey dead at 80

DUBLIN: Charles Haughey, who served three terms as Ireland’s prime minister, died Tuesday at his home in Dublin after a long battle with cancer, the government announced. He was 80.

“It is a very sad occasion, and marks the passing of an era,” said Ireland’s current prime minister Bertie Ahern. Haughey had grown increasingly ill in recent years, having been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He was taoiseach (prime minister) from December 1979 to June 1981, then again from March 1982 to December 1982 and March 1987 to February 1992. He will be given a state funeral.

Haughey is acknowledged as one of the architects of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger boom due to his prudent management of the public finances in the late 1980s.

But his economic reforms have since been overshadowed by revelations of political and financial scandals from his past that came back to haunt him.

Ahern said Haughey’s achievements had “become clouded”. “History will have to weigh up both the credit and debit side more dispassionately than may be possible today but, I have no doubt its ultimate judgement on Mr Haughey will be a positive one,” he said.

Mary Harney, the leader of junior coalition government partner the Progressive Democrats, said: “When Charles Haughey retired as taoiseach in 1992, the government he had led had set the foundations for the historic achievements of our country since then, the peace process and our economic recovery.”

An accountant by profession, Haughey also headed the Fianna Fail party, which Ahern now leads.

Known as “The Boss”, Haughey came from a humble background and the source of his conspicuous wealth was the subject of endless speculation. afp

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