Charles Haughey

Haughey led Ireland from 1987 to 1992 after earlier serving in 1979 and 1982, making him one of Fianna Fáil’s most visible and divisive heads of government. Born in Castlebar in 1925 and killed by a cancer that took him in 2006, he spoke with such speed and pride that people still argue about whether he was a genius or a fool. His life remains a warning about power: brilliance without humility can become a cage for the country itself.