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The taoiseach (Irish PM) has led tributes to the veteran Irish journalist and broadcaster David Davin-Power who has died at the age of 72.

He began his career with Irish public service broadcaster ¸é°ÕÉ in the 1980s and helped to launch its flagship weekday radio programme Morning Ireland.

In the early 1990s he was deployed to Belfast as ¸é°ÕÉ's Northern Editor.

For years he covered the twists and turns in the peace process, which culminated in the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed "profound sadness" at his death, describing him as a "consummate professional, a thorough journalist and a gentleman".

He said Mr Davin-Power was a "trusted name" and an accomplished editor who had reported on Northern Ireland during "a key moment in history".

The Tánaiste (Irish Deputy PM) Micheál Martin said Mr Davin-Power's contribution to journalism was "immense" and his life was one that had been dedicated to public service broadcasting.

"Over four decades, David covered many of the stories that shaped modern Ireland," Mr Martin said.

"He had an outstanding ability to explain even the most complicated of stories, making the news accessible to all."

After his stint in Belfast, Mr Davin-Power returned to Dublin, spending 16 years as an ¸é°ÕÉ political correspondent before he retired in 2017.

In addition to his ¸é°ÕÉ role, Mr Davin-Power worked for commercial broadcasters including Century Radio, Newstalk, and Virgin Media.

He was also a columnist with the Times Ireland Edition.

He is survived by his wife and five children.