Former Derry MP Mark Durkan pays tribute to Jean Kennedy-Smith as a 'constant encourager' of peace in Ireland

"She was a great engager and constant encourager. Her input to the peace process was more rounded and balanced than some suggest.

"She brought class and new clout to her role, had a great reach of contacts and read of issues but her own wish for more voice to victims wasn't met," said the former Foyle MP.

The death of Mrs. Smith, the last surviving sibling of US President John F. Kennedy, occurred on Wednesday in Manhattan. She was 92.

The former US Ambassador to Ireland was a visitor to the Derry and Donegal area at the height of her diplomacy.

During a trip to Inishowen 25 years ago she opened the Old Fort Inn in Greencastle.

The 'Journal' reported at the time: "Mrs. Jean Kennedy-Smith, the American Ambassador, officially openedthe Old Fort Inn,

Greencastle.

"Mrs. Kennedy-Smith unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion and complimented proprietors, James and Jean McGonagle, on their restoration. Mr. John Hume and his wife Pat, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Hendron, IFI Chair, William McCarter, and councillors, Bernard McGuinness and Paddy Keaveney, were among the guests attending the function.

"Guests heard Mrs. Kennedy-Smith describe the Old Fort Inn as one of the most beautiful and historic locations she had ever seen."

Paying tribute today President Michael D. Higgins said: “The news of the death of Jean Kennedy Smith will have been received with great sadness by many, both in the United States and in Ireland.

"As United States Ambassador to Ireland in the 1990s Ambassador 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.

"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. She brought passion and clear values to her role, providing many of the elements that promoted peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

"Jean Kennedy-Smith will also be remembered for her work promoting initiatives to support people with disabilities at home and abroad.

"Sabina and I send our sincere condolences to her children and her wider family, and to all those who will have been deeply affected by her passing.”