merrion street

I have learned with great sorrow of the passing of Dermot Gallagher, a former Secretary General of my Department who retired in 2009. A proud native of Leitrim, Dermot ably served successive Governments with great loyalty and constant commitment. 

His talented service covered the spectrum of the Department's work from EU affairs to development aid. It included two Ambassadorial posts, in Nigeria and later in the US. However, perhaps it was in the area of Northern Ireland and the peace process that Dermot made his greatest contribution. As a young diplomat, he was part of the Government's negotiating team at the Sunningdale talks in 1973 and many years later he was a major figure in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement. As Secretary General of the Department, he also prioritised a focus on providing practical support to Irish citizens abroad. 

Dermot will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues in my Department, in the GAA to which he also made a huge contribution and in County Leitrim. I extend my deepest sympathy to his wife Maeve and to Dermot's children Fiona, Aoife and Ronan. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.