Why is there no Nelson Mandela figure in Northern Ireland?

Mandela has come to personify the values needed to make a transition from war to peace, but transitions from rule by a privileged minority to a more inclusive democratic system have occurred elsewhere without producing heroic leaders. Bill Kissane compares the South African and Northern Irish transitions and highlights that while Mandela did have the combination of personal, ethical and political qualities to play ‘the great unifier’, he was also operating in a context where it was possible for him to do so.