Former Minister Dies Aged 80

Former Fine Gail TD for Waterford and Minster for Agriculture Austin Deasy has died following a short illness. He was 80.

He served as a TD for Waterford from 1977 until he retired in 2002 to be replaced by his son John who has been returned in each General Election since he was first elected.

He was born in Dungarvan in 1936 and was educated locally and then at University College Cork after which he became a teacher where he taught at Saint Augustine’s College in Dungarvan.

He joined Fine Gael in the mid 1960’s and was elected a member of Dungarvan Town Council.

Former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave nominated him to the Seanad before he was elected a TD in 1977.

In 1982 Garret Fitzgerald appointed him to the Cabinet as Minister for Agriculture where he remained until the Government fell in 1987.

He resigned from the party temporarily in 1988 when the then Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes when it was decided that Fine Gael would not oppose economic developments purposed by the minority Fianna Fail Party, but returned to the Parties Front Bench when John Bruton took over as leader in 1991.

Mr. Deasy died earlier today at University Hospital Waterford.

Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar who has strong Dungarvan connections has expressed his condolences to the Deasy family following the news.

Mr. Varadkar said Mr. Deasy was "well loved and respected by the people of Waterford whom he was proud to represent".