A Dáil usher discreetly fell into step behind Mary Martin as she walked from the chamber to the front door of Leinster House.
Outside, a throng of Fianna Fáil TDs, senators, party workers and constituency stalwarts had already lined up on either side of the entrance, awaiting the arrival of their party leader and newly elected Taoiseach.
His gleaming State car was parked to one side, ready to roll.
They were giddy with excitement and in the mood to cheer anyone. Outgoing ministers were clapped on the back as they nipped out to join the happy band.
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Deirdre Gillane, Micheál Martin’s low-key, long-term chief of staff, walked out to a chorus of cheers. She was in the distinguished visitors’ gallery earlier to see her boss of more than two decades elected Taoiseach in front of his peers in a packed Dáil chamber.
Then Mary materialised in the doorway, sending the political pack into paroxysms of joy.
With an eye to the growing crowd and its rising exuberance, the usher made to steer the Taoiseach’s wife away from thick of it and nearer the car.
She was having none of it.
“No. No. I want to stay here.”
And she joined the Cork crew from Micheál’s constituency office in Turners Cross: Mary Rose Desmond, Susan Kinsella and Valerie O’Leary. There were hugs and there were more tears. They all cheered again and Mary punched the air with joy.
Of course, Micheál had been here before, in a way, but not really. Because in 2022 he wasn’t here, didn’t do this – but became Taoiseach anyway.
He got the job in Covid times, in the soulless interior of the Dublin Convention Centre, cheered by his socially distanced colleagues in a dimly-lit auditorium while Mary and their family had to sit out his finest hour back home in Cork.
In Leinster House, in the lull between two ferocious storms, they finally got the moment they wanted. It was a long time coming, but all the sweeter for that.
What a journey.
It helped that deputies from all sides had roared themselves out over the Regional Independents’ audacity by Wednesday evening, although they will be back in rude good health by the time the Dáil reconvenes in two weeks’ time
When Fianna Fáil crashed the economy in noughties, Micheál stayed behind with the sinking ship when many of his senior contemporaries headed for the lifeboats. He was praised then for his commitment to the party but many predicted he would eventually sink with it.
He survived with his enthusiasm for politics and sense of public service intact. The working-class boy from Turners Cross realised that dream of becoming Taoiseach one day. He remembered his late father, a bus driver and talented boxer, on that Covid-skewed day three years ago.
And he did so again in the appropriate surroundings of a packed Dáil chamber on Thursday, Taoiseach again after a monumental procedural row derailed his election the day before.
The House congratulated him on his achievement, dignity and decorum restored on this significant day for democracy.
[ Micheál Martin finally appoints his new Cabinet amid temporary Dáil ceasefireOpens in new window ]
It helped that deputies from all sides had roared themselves out over the Regional Independents’ audacity by Wednesday evening, although they will be back in rude good health by the time the Dáil reconvenes in two weeks’ time.
That’s right, two weeks’ time.
There was a short, civilised row about that in advance of the ceremonials – a perfumed zephyr compared with the poisonous upheaval which went before.
Deputies rose and applauded Taoiseach Martin when Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy – steady-as-she-goes after Wednesday’s lurching start – deemed him elected.
The Regional Independents favoured with ministerial positions in return for unstintingly supporting the Government jumped to their feet and joined the ovation. The four who only secured nod-and-wink promises of much-coveted constituency largesse also applauded, apart from Danny Healy-Rae, who seemed very discombobulated at being separated from brother Michael, who now has to sit apart from him with the big boys as a Minister of State.
Is Michael, by virtue of being tethered to a non-Kilgarvan based organisation, now an X-Rae?
In his speech, the new Taoiseach thanked his family – children Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe and Cillian, who are his “pillars”, and his wife Mary.
“I have been blessed to have a partner in Mary who has done so much more than just keep me rooted.
“No position I have held, and nothing I have achieved would have been possible without her,” said Micheál, his voice thickening with emotion. In the gallery, Mary smiled and blinked back the tears.
The Taoiseach remembered his late parents, particularly his father.
“This week every year I remember all he did for us and the values which he lived by every day.” He struggled to get out the words and struggled to maintain his composure.
But he did and very soon the session was finished and party colleagues crowding around to shake his hand. For a moment, Taoiseach Martin seemed a little overwhelmed, not sure whether to sit or stand.
The Soldiers of Destiny were beside themselves. They don’t get to enjoy themselves much in these days of coalition when displays of buck-leppin’ tribal allegiance outside of party events are frowned upon
He leaned back on the top of his upturned seat.
Michael Lowry, earlier the target of a vicious broadside from Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty making some eye-watering “new” allegations about him covering up major aspects of a big money deal which was investigated by the Moriarty tribunal, joined the queue to shake Micheál’s hand.
He shook it, but no words were exchanged and their eyes didn’t meet.
Eventually, the Taoiseach was able to start the next stage of his journey – the trip to the Áras to receive his seal of office from President Higgins.
In the madness of the moment, Micheál stumbled badly on a step and nearly came a cropper. He was so befuddled he left his mobile phone in the chamber. But he made it up to the top to greet Mary.
They’d done it at last.
He stayed behind while she repaired outside for the traditional Yahooing of The Boss into The State Car.
The Soldiers of Destiny were beside themselves. They don’t get to enjoy themselves much in these days of coalition when displays of buck-leppin’ tribal allegiance outside of party events are frowned upon.
In a further stroke of luck, there was no sign of rain so the outgoing junior ministers and potential post-reshuffle junior ministers were also allowed out.
Following the recent alarming increase in their numbers, new research indicates that Ministers of State carry a rare, gremlin-like gene and start to multiply if their suits get too wet.
This means Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael can now argue they were not responsible for the four RIGgers who have so delighted the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil backbenchers by nabbing precious portfolios from under their noses.
Paul GoGo Gogarty, back in the Dáil after a long absence, made the most standout contribution of the days, which was bonkers.
Because he got great mileage out of it before Christmas, he reheated his remark about the Government looking like it would end up “like a cold to lukewarm cup of tea with the bag still in it at a convenience store in Thurles”.
GoGo is so disappointed in the programme for government he said he couldn’t even dress it up with a Seamus Heaney quote.
He could come up with one from Gilbert O’Sullivan though “where nothing rhymes”.
But he settled on a verse from singer Chappel Roan – immediately alienating the over-40s audience. Micheál looked baffled, which is only right for a man of his age.
Apparently, according to the younger people on the press gallery, his intonation was all wrong.
Back outside, the Taoiseach was on top of the world as he fielded the hugs and kisses of loyal friends and colleagues. They were thrilled and it was very emotional.
RTE’s Barry Lenihan surfaced in the middle of them doing a live radio commentary.
Darragh O’Brien was blubbering like a baby after embracing his leader and he hadn’t even been called in yet to find out if he was still in Cabinet. (He is.)
The women from the constituency office were also overcome.
“We were bawling,” said one of them afterwards.
“With relief,” said another.
After his trip to the Áras, Michéal got down to selecting his Cabinet and led his new Cabinet into the chamber at 5.15pm to thunderous applause from the delighted newbies and polite applause from the perennially overlooked.
The usual speechifying was cut short because of the storm warning.
Interestingly, Micheál has new Fine Gael Ministers in the line-up Jen Carroll MacNeill, Martin Heydon and Peter Burke. They were the junior ministers who wrote an op-ed in the Indo in 2023 urging Fianna Fáil minister Michael McGrath to include big tax cuts for workers.
McGrath, now our EU commissioner, called their idea “nuts” and said he wouldn’t be bullied by the likes of them, while party leader Micheál also had a cut at the impertinent trio.
All senior Ministers are now looking at him across the Cabinet table.
In politics, you never can tell.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin knows that better than most.
He deserves his moment.
Even his critics say he’s a decent man.
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