THE night before he came, the acrid smell of burning and conflict were in the air. A riot broke out, prompting the call for reinforcements from Dublin. Baton-wielding cops charged the crowd. Mindless violence kicked out in all directions as the booze took hold.

FORMER US president Bill Clinton yesterday led the tributes to best-selling author, Frank McCourt, when he was posthumously honoured in New York by leading Irish and American philanthropists.