Underrated Irish politicians of the last 30 years

Ireland has had exactly zero underrated politicians in the last 30 years. We've had some that were good but never a great one and we currently have the worst politicians ever in power now.

Come all without,come all within,

You'll not see nothin like Violet Ann Wynne.

Mick Wallace. Very underrated. People consider him a bit of a tool. Disagree. He’s a complete tool.

Well what do you expect from such a great party,

An eloquent intellectual, agree me old hearty?

Seamus Mallon.

Can't think of too many more to be honest.

To be fair Bertie was seriously good and probably our last politician who had genuine international respect.

Bertie's abilities were certainly underrated, though they are negative ones: being in the right place at the right time, appealing to the common man, trying to gaslight the nation (and still at it) and being something of a chameleon when it mattered most.

Charles Haughey is supposed to have said of him: "He's the best, the most skillful, the most devious, and the most cunning of them all". 'Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile' springs to mind.

Yeah little people use those things to pretend he wasn't a very valuable asset to our country on the international scene. They tend to just talk about those things to avoid talking about his achievements and ability.

Same thing in football. That's why Alex Ferguson is only remembered for things like recalling a bunch of players from Peterborough when his son got sacked, and not really known for his achievements.

It was 3 houses on 150K. You try it sometime (without accepting any bungs).

I don't know if you can really call many Irish politicians under rated as they are very good at basking in their successes.

I suppose a good example of an under appreciated politician in his time was Noel Browne. History has been much kinder to him compared to his contemporaries.

Maybe Niamh Breathneach?

He was great on peace.

Bang on about Hume being made a fool of by Adams and McGuinness.

Bang on about the border poll and how no one will mention the elephant in room about it. Guaranteed Unionist representation at cabinet and guaranteed seats in Parliament for them will be the price of it. Newton Emerson has danced around it in his columns.

Dedicated a whole chapter in his final book about his pro-life beliefs though. Disappointing.

He made a massive career error on the talks that led to the GFA.

He refused to meet Adams on several occasions while Hume did the first time Fr Alex Reid contacted him. Adams convinced Hume that any solution had to have an all Ireland dimension and include everyone. That was the key to bring republicans on board. The GFA was born out of the Hume-Adams Initiative.

Hume, finally got something that succeeded (anything he tried had failed up to that point, as had anything Adams had tried) and got the plaudits and I think Seamus was very bitter about that at the end.

He'd be well down the ratings with most in NI never mind the whole country.

John Hume

You ever read Endgame in Ireland??? Lots of great information about the goings on in Westminster and Storming and John Hume had the most unenviable position there could be, and the cover of that book is appropriately Ireland rendered as a chess board.

Of course the narcissists took the glory

But John Hume wasn't played by anybody