Former Fianna Fáil TD Sean Ardagh passes away

Mr Ardagh was aged in 68. The well known ex-politician died following a battle with cancer.

His daughter Catherine was recently elected a senator before being appointed the party's leader in the Seanad.

Despite his illness, Mr Ardagh actively canvassed for his daughter in Dublin South Central in the recent General Election.

Mr Ardagh is survived by his wife Maire, his wider family, friends and many political colleagues.

His daughter Senator Catherine Ardagh announced the news this afternoon.

"My dad Sean passed away this morning surrounded by his beloved family. We will miss him dearly," she wrote online.

Catherine has credited her father Sean with her passion for politics and public service. Mr Ardagh was a TD for Crumlin and Dublin's inner city for 15 years.

He announced his retirement from politics in December 2010.

Mr Ardagh returned to work two months before his retirement after a six-month battle with cancer.

The Dublin South-Central TD suffered from non-hodgkin lymphoma -- a cancer of the white blood cells.

After serving as a councillor in Dublin since 1986, Mr Ardagh was first elected as a TD in 1997.

Former Taoiseach Brian Cowen said at the time that Mr Ardagh had shown immense commitment to Fianna Fail and his constituents in his 25 years as a public representative.

"He was to the forefront of much valuable work during his time as Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on the Justice and more recently in his current post of Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution," he said.