The subtitle, though it may seem harsh, is no more than the truth. Without the efforts of Edward ('Ned' to his friends) Carson, Ireland would today more than likely be a single state, united politically if not religiously, and Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness would be running a Belfast–Derry taxi service in decent obscurity.

Carson – hawk-eyed, granite-jawed, grim-faced – was the embodiment of Protestant Ulster's determination to resist 'Rome rule'. His oratory, charisma and drive galvanised an embattled tribe into forging their own statelet, and his massive statue stands to this day in symbolic defiance outside the equally massive (and currently deserted) Stormont