Minister for Foreign Affairs pays tribute to the late Lt Gen (Ret) Dermot Earley

Minister for Foreign Affairs pays tribute to the late Lt Gen (Ret) Dermot Earley

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mícheál Martin, T.D., expressed his deep sadness on the death of the recently retired Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Dermot Earley.

He said: 

“Dermot Earley’s death has been greeted with great sadness in the Department of Foreign Affairs.   I and many of my officials worked closely with Dermot at various points of his long and distinguished career of service with the Army and the United Nations.  Indeed, only a matter of months ago, he was working with me and others in the efforts to secure the release of Sharon Commins and Hilda Kiwuki.

Dermot was passionate in the pursuit of excellence, whatever flag he was striving under; be it as a soldier serving under the light blue of the United Nations or the green, white and orange of Ireland, or as a footballer, wearing the primrose and blue of his native Roscommon.    He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him but most deeply by his family to whom I express my sincerest condolences and those of all in the Department of Foreign Affairs.”

ENDS+++

23 June 2010