Over the past three days, the Republic of Ireland has been counting votes from its snap general election and the results might seem like something of a paradox. The Irish electorate remains clearly disillusioned with its political ‘elite’,

The horrifying toll exacted by the Irish election process was shockingly visible over the last stretch in the heavily-lined face of 37 year old Taoiseach Simon Harris, who was swept into office last April on a wave of enthusiasm to replace Leo Varadkar as leader of Fine Gael when he unexpectedly resigned.

Sinn Fein's polling collapse from government-in-waiting to likely also-rans at an Irish election next week looks set to rob Irish nationalists of a potentially transformative moment in their pursuit of a united Ireland.