A tough Irishman, is the way Kieran Shanahan likes to be seen.
Shanahan is Governor-elect McCrory's pick to be secretary of public safety.
It's a big job now that prisons have been rolled into the same department with other functions like the Highway Patrol.
A former Raleigh city council member, Shanahan is an ex-prosecutor who's scowling even when he's smiling — which from a fellow Irishman is meant as a compliment.
He's been working his way up in the Republican ranks, so no surprise that he's in McCrory's cabinet.
But in the wake of recent events, Shanahan might want to think about a new motto for his law firm, in place of the current — as of this morning — questionable one. Which is:
"Don't bring a knife to a gunfight."

- from the website of the Shanahan Law Group PLLC