Mario Rosenstock Ahern impersonator on Today FM's 'Gift Grub' "I think one of the reasons why Bertie is so popular is that he is able to identify himself with the common people of Dublin and Ireland. Our Bertie impression is part of what we do on radio and people have responded well to our 'Paddy the Plasterer' sketches over the last few weeks and our song about him was received well. People complain about the lack of satire in Ireland so I think our Bertie sketches respond to that.

"In light of the current controversy, most people realise that he is not Charlie Haughey and I don't think that it is the case that he has been feathering his own nest. Perhaps he hasn't done anything wrong. I am not a Fianna Fail supporter but everybody has made mistakes and I don't think he has particularly done that much wrong. That said, it is very hard to get things to stick on him when he is only in the Dail about twice a week. He has very little question time compared to the British parliament. He should have asked himself more questions when he accepted money as the minister for finance. If he made an error of judgement on this basic level, it must be asked, what other areas has he made errors in?"

Paul Bew Professor of Irish politics at Queens University Belfast "I interviewed Bertie in the weeks before the signing of the Belfast Agreement and I felt that he gave a well-crafted interview that he designed to create space for Trimble to do the deal. He had clearly thought through what he was going to say before the interview and it was as if he was getting the mood music right just before the final negotiations took place. He adopted a studiously moderate constitutional nationalist approach to Northern Ireland that encouraged Trimble, as leader of the UUP, to sign the deal.

Bertie was able to do the hard thing, to reach out to unionism, and he made significant moves in that direction.

"He behaved with above-average political sensitivity during the week the deal was done and he has been largely responsible for ending the cold war between north and south. Poor relations between the two have been significantly diminished during Ahern's terms as Taoiseach and that is how we have the relatively relaxed relationship between mainstream unionism and mainstream nationalism on an all-Ireland basis."

Michael Kelly Columnist with the 'Irish Catholic' "I think Bertie is quite unselfconsciously Catholic and he has no concept of being either a left- or right-wing Catholic.

He sees it as part of his upbringing and part of his Irish identity. During Lent he goes to mass every morning and even in the final hours of negotiations at Stormont for the Good Friday Agreement, he went to Good Friday services in a Catholic church near Stormont.

"I interviewed him when he was meeting Pope Benedict in Rome last year. When he spoke about his faith, I didn't get a sense from him that he was extremely conscious that he makes his Catholic faith a part of his politics. When Liz O'Donnell launched her attack on Bertie last year about All Hallows, it made him very angry as something central to his identity was being challenged. Some people might say that Liz O'Donnell was brave to challenge the church but I do not think that is the case in a climate where everyone attacks the church. Bertie was brave to defend the church as he took a political risk by defending the role of the church in Irish society. All Hallows is a place he knows very well so he would see it as a personable institution compared to a symbol of Catholic oppression.

"While Bertie's private life has often been at variance with the church, the church has tended to decline in making a big issue out of that. There was controversy over Bertie Ahern taking Celia Larkin as his guest to an event which marked the ordination of Cardinal Connell in 2001. It was actually Dean Robert McCarthy of the Church of Ireland who objected to Celia Larkin's presence and Cardinal Connell came out and said that he had no knowledge of the extent of Bertie's relationship with Celia. This was a carefully worded statement so as not to embarrass Bertie."

Mags O'Brien Led the Divorce Action Group, now works for Siptu "I found him extremely capable and savvy to talk to in any dealings I had with him on behalf of the Divorce Action Group. What is happening now is very unfortunate and he has lost credibilty with the public. If you are Taoiseach you have to be willing to accept you are accountable to the public. He would have had more understanding of what it is like to separate. Now he is talking about those dark days in his life.

"Those days are dark for anybody going through a separation but we all have to look after our own business affairs. I hate to see somebody brought down over something like this but it does look like this has done a lot of damage to him that could ultimately bring him down."

Ray Kelly Unmarried Fathers of Ireland "I feel empathy with Bertie when we hear about the difficulties he went through. All of the divorced and separated fathers in Ireland went through times like that. I believe that it was a cold dark time for him when he had no money, but he should think of the poor guy on the streets who has lost everything through a separation.

"I remember speaking to Bertie during the European elections and he held my hand so tightly that he bent the ring on my finger. He is a warm person that understands what we are going through. I know exactly what he was saying when he said he turned to his friends for help at that time in his life, as that happens to every man in that situation. We have sympathy for him and he should return our sympathy as we have the same problems and the same bills as he had then.

"We will read in Bertie's memoirs about the difficulties Bertie and his wife went through at that time and then more people will understand what it is like to separate."

Professor Patricia Casey Head of psychiatry, Mater Hospital, Dublin "The main thing about Bertie Ahern is that he's a personable man. When people meet him, he shakes their hands warmly. He comes across as an ordinary man with a strong Dublin accent and people identify with that. They feel he is one of them. With his plain old anoraks and tossed hair, he never showed a strong dress sense but that endears people to him.

"People also identify with the ups and downs of his life because everybody has experienced the same difficulties at some time or another. But they also warm to the fact that the Taoiseach has never sought to exploit that by, for example, selling stories to the papers.

"In July 2004, he came as Taoiseach to open our new department here in the Mater hospital. We had to move up the street in the middle of the ceremony and I was surprised when he offered me a lift in the official car. It was in the heart of his own constituency and he knew everybody and addressed them by their first name. This is a genuine warmth and he really cares for people. I have never met Enda Kenny but he doesn't have the Tasoiseach's common touch."

cians who has managed to realise the potential of consensus. It looks easy, but many can't do it. He is one of the few politicians who quickly realised that, in a small country such as Ireland, the secret to success is to find a middle ground.

"He is always very clear on his objective and notwithstanding any differences the unions would have with him, he works very hard to achieve it . . .

frequently around the clock.

"A strength is that he doesn't indulge his ego. He is entirely focused on the result. He works well with people. He reaches out to them and genuinely tries to facilitate others by arriving at agreed solutions.

"When the union delegations meet him, he is very responsive and he does make an effort. But contrary to the popular perception out there, Bertie Ahern is not a socialist."

Dessie Farrell Former Dublin footballer and president of the Gaelic Players Association "In this situation, with the details of his separation coming out in the papers, I would have great sympathy for the Taoiseach as I went through the same thing myself.

"He has apologised now and I think it should be left at that.

"I have always found him a genuine and sincere man with no airs or graces. He is an ordinary man doing an extraordinary job. His great strength is that he is a good listener. He is also very likeable and he has that common touch which wins people over to him.

"I have had discussions with him on the association's efforts to secure sporting grants for Gaelic players and he is always available, though the office of the Gaelic Players Association is just across the road from his St Luke's constituency office in Drumcondra.

"He always gives you the impression that he's on your side, though you may never really know whether he is or not."