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“I am deeply saddened at the passing of Canada’s former Prime Minister Mulroney Brian Mulroney. He was a transformative leader within Canada and a leader on the world stage. In both, he led with his values, regularly reminding us of the formative influence of his family and its Irish heritage.
“Mr Mulroney’s establishment of a USA-Canada trade deal in 1987 at the Shamrock Summit with Ronald Reagan transformed the bilateral relationship and paved the way for future progress on international trade.
“At a time of global insecurity, Mr Mulroney’s stance opposing racial apartheid in South Africa reminds us that we must be guided by our values if we are to have a future of peace and security.
“I want to pay particular tribute to the work of Brian Mulroney in strengthening Irish Canadian relations. As Prime Minister, it was his invitation in 1985 that saw a visit to Canada, after a 36 year gap from a previous visit, by a Taoiseach.
“Ireland is especially grateful for Canada’s steadfast support of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. We especially remember that it was under the leadership of Prime Minister Mulroney that Canada became a founding contributor to the International Fund for Ireland, which was established as an independent organisation by the British and Irish Governments in 1986.
“As Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, visited Ireland in July 1991, the first visit of a Canadian prime minister since 1975. During his visit he planted a tree in his ancestral home in Leighlinbridge, County Carlow. He also unveiled a memorial to Thomas D’Arcy McGee – a political journalist, orator and most notable a pioneering Canadian parliamentarian – at the birthplace of McGee in Carlingford, Co Louth. These symbolic gestures by Prime Minister Mulroney continue to serve as testimony to the deep and longstanding ancestral ties between Canada and Ireland.
“I would like to pass on my personal sympathies to his wife Mila, daughter Caroline and sons Ben, Mark and Nicolas.
“Ar dheis Dé a raibh a anam.”