GERARD HOGAN, in his extended foreword to Dermot Keogh’s and Andrew McCarthy’s book, The Making of the Irish Constitution 1937, wonders if it is asking too much to give Eamon de Valera some credit where credit is due?

FIRST day of the new term and about 40 of the 166 TDs had made it into the chamber to listen to Bertie Ahern read out an unremarkable pro forma speech on the ambitions of Ireland’s EU presidency.