John Cushnahan: John Bruton’s contribution to the search for peace in Northern Ireland has always been greatly underestimated

He served as leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001 and was elected taoiseach from 1997 to 2001, leading the rainbow coalition of Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the Workers Party.

During his time as taoiseach, he also became a very successful president of the

European Council from July to December 1996 when he chaired meetings of the European Council.

At the European Council under his chairmanship the detailed conditions for the Euro were adopted. At the Convention on Europe which began in February 2002, he again played a very influential role as a leading member of the convention.

He was appointed as a member of the Praesidium of this Convention, the conclusions of which led to the draft treaty outlining a draft Constitution for Europe.

Because of the high regard in which he was held by other member state governments in the EU, his numerous contributions were rewarded in him being appointed as EU ambassador to the United States for the European Union from November 2004 until October 2009.

However, while his intellectual contribution over the years to European Integration was phenomenal – for me, his greatest achievement was his contribution to the search for peace in Northern Ireland.

I always found it bizarre that this was frequently underestimated or virtually ignored by political commentators and historians alike.

A strong and consistent critic of violence, he was respectful of both the unionist and constitutional nationalist traditions. He had been a great admirer of John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party at Westminster (which was eclipsed by Sinn Fein in the 1918 Westminster election) and this heavily influenced his approach to the Northern Ireland problem.

His own courageous inclusive approach was to provide a new essential ingredient in the run up to the peace process. Unlike previous Irish premiers, he believed that the role of the Irish government should not simply be to represent northern nationalists, but that it also had an equal responsibility to northern unionists.

This marked a new and welcome departure for which he was unfairly criticised by narrow-minded nationalist politicians in both parts of Ireland.

I firmly believe that this approach was instrumental in changing the attitudes of Northern Ireland’s unionists, especially David Trimble. Without this happening, it is debatable whether or not they would have embarked upon the path which eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement.

Additionally, the Anglo-Irish Framework Documents for Peace Negotiations, agreed between John Bruton and British PM John Major and released in February 1995, were absolutely seminal in the achievement of the Good Friday Agreement.

This was virtually ignored in all the comments and analysis paying tribute to its authors during the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

I first met John Bruton when I was a young 25-year-old General Secretary of the Alliance Party, when he came to meet me in my office in Belfast. He was the first TD that I had ever met up to then.

Along with the late Paddy Harte they were, in my humble opinion, the only TDs at that time that took a deep and sustained interest in what was in happening in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, despite his long illness, he continued to publish articles on Northern Ireland right up until just before his untimely death.

It was fitting that he lived long enough to see the powersharing executive restored just before he passed away.

I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to his wife Finola and their children, his brother Richard and his sister Mary and extended family.

May he rest in peace.

John Cushnahan is former leader of Alliance Party and Fine Gael MEP