Former Minister for Foreign Affairs David Andrews has passed away at the age of 91.

Andrews served as a Fianna Fáil TD from 1965 to 2002 and was the son of Todd Andrews, who helped found the party. He was also the father of current MEP Barry Andrews.

Andrews represented the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency, serving as foreign affairs minister on two occasions.

He was an outspoken human rights advocate and a key negotiator in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Andrews was the chief whip for the government from 1970 until 1973, though his decision to back George Colley’s leadership bid against Charles Haughey in 1979 frustrated his ministerial ambitions.

During Haughey’s 13 years in power, Andrews was put on the Fianna Fáil backbenches.

However, he used this time to campaign on behalf of the Guildford Four, Birmingham Six and Brian Keenan, the Belfast man who was taken hostage in Beirut in 1986.

In the 1990s, Andrews was twice appointed Minister for Defence and the Marine, as well as his other position as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

During this time, he became the first EU foreign minister to travel to famine-ravaged Somalia in 1992.

The role also included high-level diplomatic meetings at the United Nations, the US and China, before his involvement in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Andrews left politics when he was succeeded by his son, Barry, in the 2002 general election. He went on to serve as chair of the Irish Red Cross among other roles.

He is survived by his wife, Annette, and their five children.