Will Bertie heed the lesson of Parnell?

IS history about to be repeated?

In the 1890s the career of the greatest Irish political leader of the 19th century ended in tears. Charles Stewart Parnell’s love for Kitty O’Shea and his dogged refusal to relinquish leadership of the Home Rule party when opinion split over his relationship with a divorcee not only led to his demise but also had huge political repercussions that changed the course of Irish history.

Now another great political leader, Bertie Ahern, has settled Parnell’s unfinished business by negotiating political agreement on how the island should be governed.