Tributes are being paid to the former US ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, who has died aged 92.
The Boston native was appointed to the position by President Bill Clinton and served in the post from 1993 to 1998.
Ms Kennedy Smith was a key figure in the Northern Ireland peace process.
She was also the last surviving sibling of President John F Kennedy.
President Michael D Higgins said Ms Kennedy Smith "played a pivotal role in the initiatives that led to the Good Friday Agreement which helped bring the violence in Northern Ireland to an end".
He said: "She will be forever remembered as the diplomat who had a sense of Irish history and of what had influenced the Irish in the United States.
"An activist diplomat, she was not afraid to break with convention or explore the limits of her mandate."
File photo - Barack Obama and Michelle Obama present the 2010 Medal of Freedom to former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith. Photo by Ron Sachs / CNP / ABACAPRESS.COMFianna Fáil leader Michael Martin described her as a true friend of Ireland.
Jean Kennedy Smith was a true friend of Ireland. Quite apart from her formal role as Ambassador, which she performed with distinction, she had a life long love for our country and a dedication to our peace & progress. Her loss is huge. We thank her and we will miss her. RIP Jean
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 18, 2020
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou Mc Donald said she learned of the former US ambassador's death with "great regret".
She said:"She embodied the Kennedy family's connections with Ireland and was a popular figure for the duration of her tenure.
"She has left her mark on our history, our peace process and her legacy lives on across Ireland."
The US Embassy Dublin, meanwhile, said Ms Kennedy Smith spent much of her life helping move Northern Ireland from "dark days of violence and despair to the brighter days of peace, reconciliation, and partnership".
