John Bruton, Irish leader who played a key role in Northern Ireland’s peace process, dies at 76

LONDON (AP) — Former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton, who played a key role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, has died at the age of 76. Bruton’s family said he died Tuesday in a Dublin hospital after a long illness. The family said “he was a good husband, a good father and a true patriot.” First elected to Ireland’s parliament, the Dail, aged 22, Bruton led the Fine Gael party from 1990 to 2001. Bruton was taoiseach, or prime minister, from 1994 to 1997. During that period Northern Ireland’s rival militant groups were coaxed into peace talks. Irish President Michael D. Higgins said Bruton’s contribution to the peace process had been “very significant.”