One of the most expressive and lucid politicians in Leinster House, Senator David Norris has become a household name through his gay rights campaigning and his knowledge of matters Joycean. Born in the Belgian Congo - now Zaire - in 1944, his father, John Norris, was a chief engineer with Lever Brothers and was knighted by Belgium for his efforts during the war years. His mother, Aida FitzPatrick, loved Africa and collected wild animals.
At six months, David Norris was brought back to Ireland where, he says, his relatives welcomed him "with eyes out on stalks, expecting to see a little black baby cousin".
He was educated at St Andrews's, on Clyde Road, Dublin, and later at High School, on Harcourt Street. His schooldays were happy; there was no corporal punishment and he benefited from "a superb English teacher" called Jack Cornish.
He won a scholarship to Trinity College, entering the same day as the President, Mrs Robinson. She would later act as his barrister in his legal action in Ireland and Europe to have homosexuality decriminalised.
Trinity became the constant thread through his life and he spent 30 years there, as an undergraduate and lecturer. Admitting to being a bit of a ham actor, he says he never worked from notes while delivering lectures; instead, he took a book and a few "idiot cards" and only "dried up" before students once when he felt unwell. He promptly closed the book and rescheduled the lecture.
He retired from teaching in Trinity three years ago.
It took him 10 years and six elections to secure a seat in the Seanad and achieved a spectacularly high vote in last month's election. He says it was this performance that provoked a number of politicians to propose him as a potential presidential candidate.
In addition to working for the cause of gay rights, Senator Norris has been closely identified with highlighting human rights abuses in Timor and Tibet. However, it is with James Joyce that he is instantly identified in the public mind. He has run three Joyce symposia, bringing 600 scholars from all over the world to Ireland, and is associated with Bloomsday celebrations.