She kept them waiting before the European elections, she kept them waiting before declaring her Dáil ambitions, and this past weekend Dana kept her supporters waiting yet again for her election campaign launch in Galway. "Caught in traffic" has become the well-worn response of her agents, who obviously don't mind keeping elderly women and small babies hanging around.
Her mother Rose (84) is obviously used to her daughter's "punctuality", and even provided a distraction in the Connemara suite of the Great Southern Hotel when she persuaded a young women in a pink top to dance with her to the music of the Murray céilí band. The suite was festooned with blue and yellow balloons, and posters from the 1999 European election campaign. "Her Euroness!", one weary observer whispered, as the Connacht-Ulster MEP finally made her entrance - one hour late - to a standing ovation.
Within minutes she had the audience of about 100 in the palm of her hand. The former Eurovision Song Contest winner said she had forgotten her script, but she hadn't forgotten her lines and spoke for a full half hour without hesitation. "If Dublin is getting the Bertie Bowl, then we certainly aren't having the begging bowl," she said to ecstatic roars of agreement, referring to the disparity between west and east of this small island. A mere 10 per cent of European funding had been allocated to the west in the 30 years (almost) of EU membership, she said.
She made her case, as an Independent, for representing the people of Galway West. She was not beholden to any party to toe its line. As the capital of this region, Galway should have a light rail system. Connemara should be included in the natural gas network extension. There was far too little funding allocation to tourism promotion. The west had been forgotten, again and again and again. . .
And she hadn't forgotten her mission statement. "Where the family goes, there also goes the nation - and there are endless surveys to support what I'm saying," she declared, to sustained applause. And in a reference to March's abortion referendum, she said that she believed "life must be respected at all stages". It is not something that her former supporters in the Galway for Life campaign agree with - having been very critical of her decision to call for a No vote on the amendment which they supported - and there was no indication this rift had been healed.
But Ms Scallon is nothing if not determined, and last week's RTÉ Prime Time/Irish Independent poll for the Galway West constituency does not appear to have upset her one bit. It showed her on 4 per cent of first preferences, level with the Green candidate, Mr Niall Ó Brolcháin, and 1 per cent behind the Independent councillor from Oughterard, Mr Seamus Walsh. She is one of 17 candidates, and one of four Independents to declare so far - the others being Mr Walsh, Mr Pat Maher of Knocknacarra, and Ms Eileen Manning.
Her brother and handler, Mr John Browne, pointed out that his sister had upset every poll she had been the subject of. Fianna Fáil has dismissed as "rubbish" a private poll, said to have been taken by that party and quoted by Ms Scallon's campaign, which indicated that she could get 15.5 per cent in the constituency. Last month, the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, said that no such poll existed. At the weekend, Ms Scallon's agent produced a copy of a "tele-poll", on Fianna Fáil headed notepaper, which he said had been faxed to their office.