Overview
- Tánaiste Simon Harris said he was deeply saddened by Cooney’s passing, calling him a man of tremendous integrity and offering condolences to sons Mark, Michael, Edward and daughter Catherine.
- Cooney held multiple portfolios during the 1970s and 1980s, including justice, education, defence, transport, and posts and telegraphs.
- He served in government under taoisaigh Liam Cosgrave and Garret FitzGerald.
- He represented Longford–Westmeath as a TD in the 1970s and from 1981 to 1989, served in the Seanad from 1977 to 1981, and was MEP for Leinster from 1989 to 1994.
- Reporting on his age at death conflicts, with RTÉ citing 94 and BreakingNews.ie 98, and no official clarification published in the cited coverage.