Count Sketch/Frank McNally: It's become a familiar sight at election counts North and South in recent years. Defiant waving of the tricolour by young men with tight haircuts.
Raucous cheering as every announcement from the returning officer signals another advance for the movement. Undisguised triumphalism at the final declaration, from a once-oppressed minority on the march.
So it was at the climax of the Meath count. It was only when the oppressed minority started singing Oh What a Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma that we knew for sure this was Fine Gael. Sinn Féiners don't do Broadway musicals. But the performance seemed to be for their benefit, anyway.
Despite winning a two-horse race with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael directed much of its celebrations at a third horse, which had fallen long before the finish. "It's part of our reclaim the flag campaign," a supporter said.
This was Civil War politics, 21st century style. Michael Collins even put in a brief appearance, his picture featuring on a Fine Gael tricolour at the announcement of the first-count result.
But somebody clearly realised this could be interpreted as a "deface the flag campaign", and by the time Enda Kenny arrived in Navan, his party's military wing had been stood down.
Truth to tell, the haircuts weren't that tight either. It's a long time since Fine Gael exuded an air of menace (the mid-1930s probably). These days, members are more likely to exude an air of Rodgers and Hammerstein, including the words: "I've got a beautiful feeling/Everything's going my way." They sang it at the slightest provocation in Navan and there were a few tense moments when we feared the situation might escalate, perhaps with a Sinn Féin version of I'm Just a Girl who Can't Say No. But the threat passed, and relations were cordial enough for neutrals to hope that the Shinner and the Blueshirt could be friends, eventually.
The Blueshirts were wearing green shirts, in fact, reflecting the credentials of winning candidate Shane McEntee. If FG had a secret army in this election it was the GAA, whose members lent their military organisational skills to one of their own.
The Nobber man's victory was also a triumph for the indigenous peoples of north Meath - the Nobberigines as they're known. "All roads to Nobber!" declared McEntee to cheering supporters, oblivious of the fact that the M3's final route will hardly support such a rash promise.
McEntee also congratulated them "on a fantastic job in turning our vote from 20 per cent to 34 per cent in 48 hours". This was one of many barbs aimed at the Meath Chronicle for an opinion poll last week that suggested Fianna Fáil's Shane Cassells was a shoo-in. Enda Kenny described the methodology used as "disgraceful", and Phil Hogan's wrath was only eased by a "four-figure" win from bookies who had offered 4-1 against the Nobber man in the poll's wake.
Despite backing the wrong Shane, Fianna Fáil was not too upset at the result. Serenaded by young female supporters - the "Cassells crew" - the fresh-faced candidate conceded that he might have been a bit too fresh-faced for this campaign.
But he added: "Sixteen thousand votes in three weeks - it ain't bad."
Labour's smooth-talking candidate Dominic Hannigan was even happier, claiming that his 11.5 per cent share set him up for a seat at the general election "provided I continue to work hard - which I will, starting Monday". After a pause, he added: "Maybe Tuesday."
Sinn Féin was not unhappy, holding its vote despite the PR disasters of recent weeks. Party supporters waved the tricolour as always, and cheered Joe Reilly's 6,087 votes like a poll-topping performance.
But the big numbers in Navan - musical and otherwise - belonged to Enda Kenny's party. The corn was as high as an elephant's eye on Saturday night, and Fine Gael were even higher than that.