Lemass’s ruthless streak laid bare

Sean Lemass: Democratic Dictator By Bryce Evans Collins Press, €15

If a film were ever to be made about Sean Lemass’s early life, the ideal choice of director might seem to be Neil Jordan or Ken Loach (The Wind That Shakes The Barley).

However, after reading Bryce Evans’s challenging new biography of the former taoiseach, who represents a modernising hinge between two very different Irelands, a case might be made for Woody Allen.