The man and his mission: The private face behind the public persona

Noel Dempsey lives just outside Trim, Co Meath, in a comfortable, well-lived-in house on its own grounds. The house is neither grand nor ostentatious. It is very comfortable, but not in a trendy, minimalist way.

The Minister arrives and immediately asks you if you have had a cup of tea. It is difficult to keep calling him Minister. With his new haircut, he looks about 10 years younger than his 50 years.

His wife of 26 years, Bernadette, has already arrived with tea and a huge plateful of chocolate Hob Nobs. There is a great sense of warmth and hospitality in the house.

The room is full of personal memories and treasures. There are the Communion and Confirmation photos of the kids - the Dempseys have four, aged 17 to 23; two in school and two in college. The room is dominated by a big gold mirror, a present to the Minister. It has the Dempsey family crest, the Fianna Fáil logo and a model of the Customs House. It says in big letters: "Presented to Noel Dempsey, Minister for the Environment and Local Government".

The shelves on the left are full of books and videos. There are several books about Meath and about Ireland. There is Irish Times journalist Frank McDonald's The Construction of Dublin and John Cooney's biography of John Charles McQuaid. The bookshelf is dominated by one very heavy tome - John Major's political memoirs. The videos include David Gray Live at the Point and A Tribute to Van Morrison. There is also A Year 'til Sunday, the acclaimed GAA documentary.

On the shelf there are several education books. One is called Developing Teachers, another Changing Our Schools. You get the impression that the Minister is a very well-organised person. This is someone who spent two months during the summer swotting up on all the education issues and meeting the main players, before uttering a word about education.

Curiously, there is little sense that this is a very ambitious politician, determined to make it to the top - although, presumably, this must be the case. After our interview, he is rushing off to a local funeral to pay his respects. He says that I can stay if I want and have another cup of tea.

Noel Dempsey is driven, but not in the normal sense of personal ambition alone. You have the definite feeling that this is someone who believes in the old-fashioned concept of public service; that this is someone who wants to make a difference.

He is from a family of 12 boys. He want to the Christian Brothers in Trim and on to UCD, where he took history and English. After a H.Dip in Maynooth, he worked as a secondary-school teacher in Drogheda and in Trim.