The former minister for the marine, Mr Frank Fahey, had expressed a keen interest in that poisoned chalice, the health portfolio, some weeks before the general election. Little did the Galway West TD know that he wasn't going to be considered for Cabinet at all. But then neither did most of those around him.
He was understood to have had a good relationship with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and it was believed his promotion to minister for the marine 2½ years ago was not before time.
However, the failure by the party to bring in a third seat in Galway West, a seat held on to by the Progressive Democrats, may have been one of a series of factors contributing to yesterday's surprise development.
If it is the "little things" that trip a politician up, to quote the former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, Mr Fahey's remarks on local radio during the abortion referendum campaign last February may not have helped his case. In the interview on North West Radio, he said there had been "several attempts" over the past 12 months by women to have abortions on the grounds of being suicidal. He said he was aware of one occasion where a doctor had refused to carry out an abortion in this situation.
Within hours, he had said his comments had been misinterpreted by the Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan. Several days later he was back in the news when he was reported as having claimed that the minister for justice, Mr O'Donoghue, had put pressure on him to bail out the ill-fated replica Famine ship, Jeanie Johnston, which had overrun its original estimated cost.
Marine and Natural Resources was Mr Fahey's first full ministry, after several junior postings in Education (youth and sport); Tourism, Transport and Communications; and in Health. One of his early announcements was relocation of the Marine Institute to Galway, and he unveiled plans for the new complex at Oranmore shortly before the election.
Splitting his week between his constituency, where he retained a keen interest in health, and Dublin, he identified a series of priorities in an area which had suffered from the indecisiveness of his predecessor, Dr Michael Woods.
Among his achievements were initiation of plans for the world's largest offshore wind farm on the Arklow Bank, approval of the development plan for the Corrib gas field off Mayo, and introduction of a new management regime for wild salmon.
Yesterday there was shock in Galway at his omission from Cabinet, while there was welcome for the promotion of Mr Eamon O Cuiv to the new community, rural and Gaeltacht portfolio.
