[4] Reynolds left what many would consider being a "job for life" in the state company and moved into the showband scene, going on to own several dance halls in his local area.

[7][8][9] The election proved to be a landslide victory for Fianna Fáil, with the party receiving a 20-seat parliamentary majority, resulting in Jack Lynch returning as Taoiseach.

Reynolds became a member of the so-called "gang of five" politicians of a strong rural background, with Jackie Fahey (Tipperary), Mark Killilea Jnr (Galway), Tom McEllistrim (Kerry) and Seán Doherty (Roscommon), which aligned itself to Charles Haughey and supported him in the subsequent leadership contest.

Reynolds was rewarded for his staunch loyalty by joining the newly elected Taoiseach Charles Haughey's cabinet as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.

The 1989 general election resulted in Fianna Fáil taking the unprecedented move of entering into a coalition with the four-year-old free-market-centric Progressive Democrats (PD).

The failure of Fianna Fáil candidate Brian Lenihan to be elected as President of Ireland added to the pressure on Haughey's leadership.

Haughey told Desmond O'Malley, the PD leader, that he intended to resign shortly but wanted to choose his own time of departure.

Reynolds easily defeated his rivals Mary O'Rourke and Michael Woods in the party leadership election and succeeded Haughey as Taoiseach on 11 February 1992.

Reynolds promoted several long-time critics of Haughey, like David Andrews, Séamus Brennan and Charlie McCreevy, to senior ministerial positions.

One of Haughey's oldest political allies, Bertie Ahern, remained Minister for Finance, agreeing with Reynolds not to challenge him for the leadership.

Reynolds negotiated considerable benefits for Ireland from the European Union regional aid budget in the aftermath of the Danish rejection of the Maastricht Treaty.

At the tribunal, Desmond O'Malley severely criticised Reynolds, in his capacity as Minister for Industry and Commerce, for an export credit scheme.

state-funded export insurance, effectively subsidising the Goodman business empire which now accounted for 12% of national GDP, when the country was in deep recession, shocked the electorate.

Piecemeal negotiations had gone on during 1993 between Reynolds and British prime minister John Major, resulting in the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1993;[citation needed] on 15 December, the Downing Street Declaration was signed in London.

Reynolds remained involved in discussions with Northern Ireland's nationalist parties and, along with John Hume, persuaded the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) to call a complete ceasefire on 31 August 1994.

[17]In September 1994, Reynolds was left standing on the tarmac at Shannon Airport by Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who failed to emerge from his plane to meet awaiting Irish dignitaries.

[18] Headlines around the world alleged that Yeltsin was too drunk to appear; a Russian official said that he was unwell and aides later suggested that he had had a heart attack.

At this stage, allegations surfaced that Whelehan had been less than keen to prosecute a serial child abuser priest, Brendan Smyth, due to the implications that such an action concerned the accountability of certain prominent members of the Catholic hierarchy.

It was later revealed that Whelehan, in his capacity as Attorney General (AG), had mishandled an attempt[21] to extradite Smyth to Northern Ireland, where he was facing criminal charges.

[23] At the beginning of 1997, Bertie Ahern allegedly encouraged Reynolds to run for office in the coming election and offered him the position of "peace envoy" to Northern Ireland and his support[citation needed] as a candidate for the presidency.

Reynolds retired from politics at the 2002 general election, after 25 years as a TD; he was quoted in 2007 to state: "I don't bear any grudges over Ahern".

The newspaper claimed a defence of qualified privilege concerning these assertions based on their supposed benefit to the public, but a High Court jury found in favour of Reynolds in 1996.

The judge subsequently awarded contemptuous damages of one penny in this action, leaving Reynolds with massive legal costs, estimated at £1 million.

Musharraf asked Reynolds to act as an advisor to him and to contact US president Bill Clinton to reassure the White House as to the intentions of the new government of Pakistan.

However, the report noted that pressing a businessman to donate money when he was seeking support for a commercial project was "entirely inappropriate, and was an abuse of political power and government authority".

[17] The serving Taoiseach, Enda Kenny of Fine Gael, said at the time: As Taoiseach he played an important part in bringing together differing strands of political opinion in Northern Ireland and as a consequence made an important contribution to the development of the peace process which eventually lead to the Good Friday Agreement.

Other guests included former ministers Charlie McCreevy, Padraig Flynn, Dermot Ahern and Noel Dempsey, fashion designer Louise Kennedy and racehorse owner J. P. McManus.

An unexpected visitor from overseas was the frail but vigorous[peacock prose] Jean Kennedy Smith, former US ambassador to Ireland, who was the last surviving sibling of John F.

The Downing Street Declaration paved the way for the IRA ceasefire and all the positives which have flowed from the peace process for people North and South.

The Archbishop of Dublin, who attended the service, commented on Reynolds's determined character: In his life, in his responsibility for the political and economic destiny of those he was called to serve, Albert Reynolds was responsive and creative and determined in his desire to move forward in the search for peace and for a more just, secure and prosperous society.Former Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Brian Cowen expressed his sadness at the passing of their "close personal friend".