Kennedy and Dodd's trip to Ireland

But he added that above all, he loved everything that was Irish. “He just immersed himself in everything. There were no shirts and ties, it was a place where he could just totally unwind,” he said.

But it was the letter written by Senator Kennedy to Britton three weeks after he returned to the US, that best summed up his feelings.

“Like so many things in life, it’s the individuals who make the difference and you truly made Ireland come alive for Chris and me while we were there.

“In a strange way although I had been to Ireland a number of times before, this time seemed like the first-no political heavy lifting, and the luxury of letting myself be carried away by the magic of the country, the warmth of the new friends we made, the wind and the sea that envelops us everywhere, you seemed to make it all happen,”  wrote Senator Kennedy.

Speaking last night, Britton, now a journalist with the Donegal Democrat, said he was saddened by the death of someone he regarded as a true friend.