‘The ultimate judgment of history will be kind’

CHARLES HAUGHEY was described as the dominant public figure of late 20th century as he was laid to rest yesterday in St Fintan’s Cemetery in Sutton in Dublin yesterday.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, delivering the graveside oration, accepted that Mr Haughey’s career was controversial but said he had “no doubt that the ultimate judgment of history will be kind”.

Mr Ahern, in a 12-minute oration during which his voice occasionally quivered with emotion, dwelt strongly on the political achievements and personal abilities of his predecessor, rather than on the controversies and flaws that made him such a polarising figure, and drew scorn upon him in his final years.