From Cain and Abel to Noel and Liam Gallagher, when brothers fall out it tends to be spectacular. The fissures which became visible this week between Ireland’s most prominent political siblings suggest the Healy-Raes are no exception.When Michael Healy-Rae suddenly resigned as a minister of state in April, he claimed he had not been forced to do so by his elder brother and fellow Kerry TD, Danny. This week, Michael related a rather different story. Danny, he told Radio Kerry, had effectively sacked him by calling for the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to be replaced, in contravention of the arrangement underpinning Michael’s ministerial position. He had not jumped voluntarily, he said. He had been “pulled”.It appears the brothers are not immune from Brendan Behan’s dictum that the first item on the agenda of any Irish organisation is the split. The Healy-Raes are not a political party, even if the core principles of Healy-Raeism are plain enough: a fierce commitment to localism above any consideration of the national interest, a reverence for clan loyalty and a canny understanding that the best way to serve Kerry is to extract concessions from whoever happens to be in power in Dublin. It was that last principle which Danny appeared to abandon in April.The dynasty founded by the brothers’ father, Jackie, is now a formidable network of family members, allied councillors and businesses extending across a large county, coordinated by a famous electoral machine. It has functioned because all parts moved together. What this week’s events revealed is that the machine has been running on bad fuel for some time. It has been reported that Michael’s son Jackie jnr, who lost his special adviser role in the fallout, has cooled towards his cousins. The prospect of an electoral split looms at the next election.One can only hope the story ends better than Cain and Abel did. But a lucrative Gallagher-style reunion, with reconciled brothers triumphantly back on stage together, looks an increasingly distant prospect.