Facing the greatest gamble of his political career

GERRY ADAMS was never a man to shy away from risks.

After navigating a number of sea changes in a long political career, at 62 he is embarking on a major re-invention of himself and his Sinn Féin Party.

Deciding to give up what he described as the “safest Sinn Féin seat on the planet” in West Belfast to contest a seat in the Dáil is a “big risk” as he himself accepted when he made the surprise announcement yesterday.