Lion in winter shows no sign of thawing out

AS the Reverend Ian Paisley strode out of Government Buildings yesterday after his historic visit to Dublin, he was reminiscent of the lion in winter.

He was gaunt, frail and his voice hoarse, diminished from the larger-than-life figure of old. Yet, he had not lost his roar.

Some suggest his iron grip of the party he personifies may be on the wane. But as he passed through the Merrion Street gates yesterday, he emphatically put lie to that supposition, placing himself at the centre of things.