The funeral takes place in Dublin today of former Irish premier Charles Haughey. Famously, Haughey was an accountant, something unusual, to the best of my knowledge, among state leaders.

After leaving university Haughey worked as an accountant with the firm Haughey, Boland & Company, according to Wikipedia. (Apropos of nothing, the Haughey name survivced until just four months ago when the firm, now called Tulldar, only changed its name with the Irish Companies Records Office).

Though Haughhey's career was not untainted with scandal, he is being buried with full military honours with Irish President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern among the thousands attending the funeral, the BBC reports.

And that's what makes Irish politics so unusual in my book. Ahern is an accountant too, and honorary president of the CIPFA RoI Branch Committee.

I can't think of another example of a country being led by an accountant, though it must have happened. But two? Surely that's a first.