Royston Brady's rise and fall: For years, Dublin's Lord Mayor Royston Brady imagined he could be a younger Bertie Ahern. He saw himself as much-loved on Dublin's northside and destined for a glittering political career.
Today, the comparison is better made with Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and fell to the sea when his wings of wax melted.
Instead of being bound for the European Parliament, Mr Brady will have to endure his final days as Lord Mayor knowing that he will neither be an MEP nor a member of Dublin City Council.
It looked so different just a few weeks ago. The first Irish Times/tns mrbi opinion poll showed the 31-year-old in line to get an 18 per cent first preference share.
The candidate was thrilled beyond belief. Others in his campaign were not: "He couldn't see that the last thing he needed was to be seen to be out in front so early," one of them said yesterday.
Today, no doubt, Mr Brady is feeling bitter towards the media, which displayed little enthusiasm at the prospect of him becoming an MEP. However, those who live by the sword occasionally feel its sharp edge.
During his term in the Mansion House, Brady exploited press coverage at every opportunity.
Portraying himself as a tough-talker, he took swipes at his council colleagues, describing them as "clowns" and "pathetic" figures who had sat back once elected. His quotable image made him the tabloids' darling, particularly when he hosted a down-and-outs wedding and defended lap-dancing clubs.
Once the campaign began, however, a different Brady was on view, or, more accurately, vanished from view: "A decision was made to keep him off the radio and away from the papers at all costs," a campaign source said.
The campaign was well funded, largely thanks to a packed lunch in the Mansion House's Fadó restaurant where supporters paid between €2,500 and €5,000 a table. The Taoiseach was the main speaker.
Mr Ahern's relationship with Mr Brady has been misunderstood. Many insist on believing the Taoiseach looked on him as a favourite son. The reality is different.
Although Mr Ahern's Drumcondra Mafia would have been happy to see Mr Brady head for Brussels, this had more to do with the fact that they would have been glad to get rid of him.
Relations with the camp of Fianna Fáil's other Dublin Euro candidate, Eoin Ryan, were never good. However, the mood quickly became poisonous when Mr Ryan refused to divide the Dublin constituency at the Liffey.
Though the candidate will find it hard to accept, his campaign was fatally undermined by no one other than himself by his claims about his father's abduction before the Dublin/ Monaghan bombings.
Now that he has been left without even a base on the council, few close to Mr Ahern will grieve for him.
