Mrs Anna Spring, who has died age 78, was more than the mother of Dick Spring and wife of Dan Spring - she was a political force in her own right. She played a crucial anchor role for the Springs in Kerry North and the political success of both men was due in no small measure to her valuable work in the background.
Mrs Spring died at her home in Tralee after a long illness. She is survived by her three sons, Dick, Donal and Arthur, and three daughters, Maeve, Kay and Noelle. Her husband died nine years ago.
She was born Anna Laide, the daughter of a small farmer from Kilflynn in north Kerry. She was a boarder at Mount Sackville sec ondary school in Dublin, and afterwards she trained as a nurse. She met Dan Spring in 1942 at St Finnan's hospital in Killarney. He was a trade union official and captain of the all-Ireland Kerry football championship team, and had come to organise the workers into a union.
Dan was elected to the Dail the following year: Anna cycled 31 miles from Killarney to Kilflynn to vote for him. Their wedding the next year had to be postponed by four weeks because the Taoiseach of the day, Eamon de Valera, called a snap general election.
A family friend and Labour activist, Joe Revington, told the Sunday Press in 1992: "Politics was what put bread on the table when she was trying to rear a big family on a TD's salary, so she made sure that the grass didn't grow in north Kerry without Dan Spring knowing about it. She has a photographic memory for people and pretty much an encyclopaedic knowledge of north Kerry."
In those days, TDs had no secretaries and Anna performed the role unpaid during Dan's 38 years in the Dail. She was his eyes and ears in the constituency while he was in Dublin. She was treasurer of the North Kerry Labour Party, a position she held into her 70s.
The Springs spent their married life at the family's terraced house on Strand Road, Tralee. In addition to her local political du ties, she was often called on by neighbours for medical assistance, delivering children, treating injuries and even laying out the dead.
When Dan Spring retired, his son, Dick, was elected to the Dail in 1981. Dan died in September 1988 but Anna continued to work with the same enthusiasm on her son's behalf.
Tributes have been paid by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who offered his condolences to the Spring family.
He said "great praise" was due to Mrs Spring "for the important role that she had played in her husband's and her son's political life, which had brought national and international distinction to the family". He added: "Her memory will be treasured by all who knew her."
The removal of Mrs Spring's body will take place tomorrow at 6.30 p.m. to St John's church, Tralee. The funeral Mass takes place on Sunday at 3 p.m after which she will be interred at Rath cemetery in Tralee.