The Last of Mr Norris

Mary Robinson was (and is!) a woman and, just as importantly, the first President of the Republic of Ireland whose candidacy was not backed by Fianna Fail. Her successor, Mary McAleese is originally from Northern Ireland and thus, like Robinson, some kind of outsider. Both women expanded the idea of the Irish presidency and, in some small measure, helped refine the notion of what it means to be Irish in a modern european context.

So you can see why some felt that David Norris, the independent Senator representing Dublin University in the upper house, would make an excellent candidate to succeed Mrs McAleese. These may be grim economic times but Ireland could make some kind of declaration about itself by electing europe’s first openly gay head of state. Perhaps that, plus Fianna Fail’s disgrace, helped explain why such a seemingly improbable candidate could become the early frontrunner in the race to Phoenix Park.