Former Irish PM Haughey no more

LONDON: Charles Haughey, who served three terms as Ireland's prime minister, died on Tuesday at his home in Dublin after a long battle with cancer, the government announced. He was 80.

"It is a very sad occasion, and marks the passing of an era," said Ireland's current Prime  Minister Bertie Ahern in a statement.

Haughey, an accountant by profession, was prime minister from December 1979 to June 1981, then again from March 1982 to December 1982 and March 1987 to February 1992.

He also headed the Fianna Fail party, which Ahern now leads. Ahern said: "On behalf of the government and Fianna Fail, I wish to convey our deepest sympathies to his wife Maureen, his daughter Eimear, and his sons, Conor, Ciaran and Sean, as well as his wider family."