Has Adams reached a Lewinsky moment?

Ireland’s longest-serving political leader may have reached his Monica Lewinsky moment.

Though there is absolutely no suggestion that Gerry Adams, who has led Sinn Féin for over 30 years, was in any way involved in the rape of Belfast woman Maíria Cahill — a minor at the time — by a leading “republican” in 1997, the description of his subsequent role in an IRA kangaroo court raises credibility issues at least on a par with those faced by then American president Bill Clinton just months before Ms Cahill was raped.

So grave are the allegations, and even more so the terrible implications, that even Mr Adams’ impenetrable Teflon, a well-worn shield that has served him so well for many decades, may not be enough to protect what remains of his credibility. Not only is his credibility at stake, so too is Sinn Féin’s.