They found evidence that he had worked to compromise his indebtedness with AIB and no evidence of any wrongdoing.
Illness and death
On 5 May 2011, it was reported that FitzGerald was seriously ill in a Dublin hospital. Newly elected Fine Gael Taoiseach Enda Kenny sent his regards and called him an "institution"; on 6 May he was put on a ventilator. On 19 May, after suffering from pneumonia, he died at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, at the age of 85.
In a statement, Irish president Mary McAleese hailed FitzGerald as "a man steeped in the history of the State who constantly strove to make Ireland a better place for all its people". Taoiseach Enda Kenny paid homage to "a truly remarkable man who made a truly remarkable contribution to Ireland". Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state who served as an opposite number to FitzGerald in the 1970s, recalled "an intelligent and amusing man who was dedicated to his country".
His death occurred on the third day of Queen Elizabeth II's state visit to the Republic of Ireland, an event designed to mark the completion of the Northern Ireland peace process that had been "built on the foundations" of FitzGerald's Hillsborough Agreement with Margaret Thatcher in 1985. In a personal message, the Queen offered her sympathies and said she was "saddened" to learn of FitzGerald's death. British prime minister David Cameron, who was also in Ireland, paid tribute to FitzGerald's "huge contribution to the peace process bringing reconciliation for all that had happened in the past". On his visit to Dublin, US president Barack Obama offered condolences on FitzGerald's death; he spoke of "someone who believed in the power of education; someone who believed in the potential of youth; most of all, someone who believed in the potential of peace and who lived to see that peace realised".
FitzGerald was buried at Shanganagh Cemetery.
Remembrance
In February 2012, Young Fine Gael (YFG) announced that its annual summer school would be renamed the Garret FitzGerald YFG Summer School.
Governments led
FitzGerald led the following governments:
- 17th government of Ireland (22nd Dáil; June 1981 – March 1982)
- 19th government of Ireland (24th Dáil; December 1982 – March 1987)
Honorary doctorates
- 1985: Saint Mary's University
- 1986: Keele University
- 1987: Boston College
- 1987: Oxford University
- 1991: National University of Ireland
- 1999: Trinity College Dublin
- 2003: Ulster University
- 2011: Open University
Notes
References
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