Paris is known for many things - wonderful walks along the Seine, breathtaking views from the Eiffel Tower, and relaxing afternoons in the city's innumerable cafes.

But for Irish soccer fans, none of that matters. Liberté, égalité and fraternité? Forget about it.

Paris is no different now than such non-descript locations as Orlando, Skopje, or Nicosia - all places were Ireland's previous football campaigns came to bitter ends.

In broad state government terms, this year so far has been largely about corruption allegations, and their fallout. Such outbursts are often cyclical, play themselves out, and fade away for a while.

But there's a larger, more fundamental alteration going on, and it speaks more deeply to the body politic's distrust of the system than the public's well-earned suspicion of the body's own rot.

For decades, Peter Robinson was the man in the background, a key player in the world of hard-line unionism but almost entirely obscured by Ian Paisley's epic shadow.

In 1979, at the tender age of 29, Robinson was elected to the British parliament, beginning a political run that has seen him spend the past 30 years, or half of his life, representing East Belfast at Westminster. A year later, in 1980, Robinson was named deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, launching his long-running role as Paisley's loyal understudy.