On the 70th anniversary of the execution of Charlie Kerins by Tom Pierrepoint, Ryle Dwyer examines some of the sensational aspects of the story

Senator Déirdre de Búrca’s resignation from the Green Party and Seanad Éireann yesterday sent shockwaves through Irish politics similar to those caused by the resignation of George Lee from Fine Gael and Dáil Éireann at the start of the week.

IT is said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In relation to Dáil elections, that is broadly true. In 1957 and 1961, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael between them secured 81% - 82% of the popular vote. Come 2007, an economic transformation and a 30-odd year terrorist campaign later, that had dipped, but only slightly, to 77.5%.