Gerry Fitt was a true disciple of James Connolly who placed the people of Ireland above flags or borders and who strove against injustice and sectarianism, former Fine Gael TD Austin Currie has said.
At a memorial service in Belfast for the former MP and SDLP founder, who died last year, Mr Currie commended his former colleague as a man who made an "outstanding contribution to Irish pubic life".
In a warm tribute, Mr Currie, himself a founder member of the party, said Mr Fitt recognised at an early stage the fundamental weakness of the unionist position.They professed "loyalty and commitment to British standards while refusing those same standards to those they ruled", he said.
He credited Mr Fitt with smashing the unwritten convention that any matter under the control of the devolved Stormont parliament could not be brought up in Westminster."Without that victory, further progress would not have been possible," he said.
Gerry Fitt was a conviction politician, he said, and "a personality politician who responded to his gut feelings. Policies came second." His contribution is only now being given credit, Mr Currie said.
"I am confident that, from the vantage point of history, his outstanding contribution to Irish public life will be recognised and appreciated."