Race for the Áras is fought with a huge concentration of viciousness

The great thing about the old days was that we had the Catholic Church to deliver reproof, punishment and banishment, writes Terry Prone

EVEN if Michael D had decided he was off out of the Áras at the end of his first run, Miriam O’Callaghan would have been ill-advised to go for the presidency. For starters, doing it on her own as an independent would keep her skirts clean of any party political involvement, and that would have been good. But if Dana Rosemary Scallan couldn’t do it, with her unofficial network of faith-related followers, then anybody thinking of going that route should think long and hard.

It may have been Kissinger who said something to the effect that the competitive venom of academia was out of all proportion to the money or prestige involved. Same is true of the presidency. You can’t do much, once elected, other than talk on themes the Government doesn’t object to, although Mary McAleese quietly stretched the bounds of the role by bringing unionist paramilitaries into the Áras as part of her commitment to bridge-building. Someone who is already famous may just about maintain their recognition factor by attending every community gunfight going during their time in office.