| Hanging blame for the Northern Bank raid around the necks of the Sinn Fein leadership has clear political advantages for the taoiseach. |
| What makes the verbal sortie on the Vatican so groundbreaking however is that it is a Fine Gael taoiseach, whose political base lies in the conservative west of Ireland, who has led from the front. |
| All four Irish political parties – as well as taoiseach Enda Kenny – and celebrities including Colin Farrell, Bono, Saoirse Ronan and Graham Norton have come out in favour of gay marriage. |
| According to the taoiseach, his invitation was received warmly by Kate and William. |
| Politicians past and present praised the memory of Ireland's former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald as a statesman and peacemaker. |
| However, the former taoiseach was always concerned about not alienating the unionist population of Northern Ireland. |
