Gdansk is an enchanting city. Steeped in history, it revels today as a magnet for tourists from around the world. The pain endured for much of the past century seems a fading memory. Yet strolling through its atmospheric old town recently – weeks before the pandemic – the feeling that this period of calm contentment is fragile was difficult to shake. Back in bustling Dublin, the recent election heightened the unease. The fanatical destruction wrought by Hitler and then Stalin to the Hansa jewel on the Baltic is bitter witness to the danger of succumbing to the angry extremes. The…