Angelic voices floated through the air as Fianna Fáil's special conference came to a close and party members posed for photographs, writes Frank McNally in Inchydoney.
Barely audible over the chatter, a small group of special needs students from Clonakilty had decided to sing Amazing Grace while waiting to meet the Taoiseach. Startled TDs and senators cupped their ears just in time to hear the message: I once was lost but now am found/Was blind but now I see.
It was too early to say if Fianna Fáil had found itself again, but after two days of combing the area where its soul was last seen, the search party had at least discovered a few clues.
A conference that started with a priest ended yesterday with an economist who confirmed that the second coming of the economic boom was nigh. And the prospect of renewed spending power between now and 2007 has convinced the main Government party that it could yet face its maker - the Irish electorate - with something like confidence.
In the shorter term, facing its Government partner may be more embarrassing. Fianna Fáil had its wedding ring off during the two days in Inchydoney, and Progressive Democrat jokes at Monday night's dinner went down well.
When guest speaker George Hook quipped that Mary Harney's move from Fianna Fáil to the PDs was the first recorded case of "a rat swimming towards a sinking ship", everyone except Bertie Ahern laughed. But yesterday, on the morning after the night before, even the Taoiseach was putting his foot in it.
"Reintroduce your body to your mind" is the slogan of the spa at Inchydoney. And Mr Ahern - whose mind and body are not always in close communication - illustrated the dangers of giving impromptu press conferences when your yin and yang are not in harmony.
Thus, playing down the significance of a radio comment by Mary Harney about the circumstances in which the PDs would pull out of Government, the Taoiseach called it "a stupid answer to a stupid question".
There followed a scene in which Mr Ahern's mind made urgent attempts to contact his mouth and get it to undo the damage. Blushing, he amended his words to say that the Tánaiste had given "an answer to a stupid question", and went on to assure everyone that relations between the Government partners were better than at any time since 1997. This could well be true, but Fianna Fáil might still have to buy the PDs flowers when they get back to Dublin.
Later, in the formal end-of-conference debriefing, the Taoiseach took a last backward look at the June elections. He complained that Fianna Fáil did not "get enough political credit" for the economy's success.
"But we're good listeners," he added, before going on to explain that the projected general Government deficit for this year would be even smaller than predicted, and might yet become a surplus.
Good listeners. Money available. Hint, hint. And at that, the Taoiseach left Inchydoney.