DUBLIN (AP) — Much like the Ulster weather, Ian Paisley could offer beaming sunshine one minute, stinging hailstones the next.

The international image of Paisley — that of Northern Ireland’s most dangerous demagogue, a belligerent bigot committed to keeping Irish Catholics at bay and out of power — was well-documented in its own right. But understanding the worst of the public Paisley wouldn’t prepare you for meeting him in the flesh.