Politics is the chloroform of the Irish people, or rather the hashish.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
We've seen a lot of dirty politics in Ireland.
Obviously one of the things that poets from Northern Ireland and beyond - had to try to make sense of was what was happening on a day-to-day political level.
The Irish seem to have more fire about them than the Scots.
Politics is really religion. Politics is about sacredness. Politics is about offering a vision that will bind the nation together to pursue greatness.
The majority of the members of the Irish parliament are professional politicians, in the sense that otherwise they would not be given jobs minding mice at crossroads.
It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody.
Making an Irishness to be proud of in a real Republic. It is the vision of a real Republic where life and language, where ideals and experience have the ring of authenticity which we need now as we go forward.
Politics is activity in relation to power.
I think a lot of us who grew up in Northern Ireland weren't politicised enough, frankly.
The gun is not out of Irish politics.