As a former trade union leader he had come to politics the hard way, working his way up from the shop floor to the negotiating table and then on to local issues. Having served his time as a local councillor, he made his way into government, and found that the wheeling and dealing that had served him so well in his former careers were even more of an asset there. He quickly became one of his party’s go-to men when difficult deals needed to be made, and was someone who had a reputation for getting anything done if the price was right. In keeping with his carefully groomed image as a man of the people Fitzpatrick liked to dress down, preferring an open-necked shirt and sweater for everything but the most formal of occasions. He had lost count of how many times little old ladies had patted his arm and told him how much they trusted him at his local constituency surgeries – ‘not like those other fancy Dans up in Dublin with their expensive suits’. Right now, however, his open-necked shirt and light gray sweater were soaked with blood.
