Enda Kenny achieved the four objectives he had set, writes Mark Hennessy, Political Correspondent.
From the dead it arose. Fine Gael's extraordinary European parliament and local election showing is a performance worthy of Lazarus.
For over a year, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has insisted that the party was on the way back to the political uplands, though few believed him.
For now, however, the doubters have been silenced. Though final returns are not yet available, it seems increasingly clear that it will hold all, or most of its council seats.
In 1999, Fine Gael won 32 per cent of the seats with just 28 per cent of the first preference vote. This time, it may come very close to repeating that achievement.
Entering the Dublin count centre in the RDS in Ballsbridge, Kenny was surrounded by jubilant party supporters, who had stood in the same hall despondent two years ago.
The Mayo man had been careful to emphasise the target he believed he had to beat - the party's 2002 general election showing, rather than the 1999 local result.
But the recovery is far from complete. In Dublin, the party, even though it was buoyed by the Euro performance of Gay Mitchell, still could not break the 20 per cent mark.
"It isn't nearly enough. We have a lot of work to do there," said Frank Flannery, who led Fine Gael's local election campaign nationally.
But Fine Gael has found potential Dáil candidates in Dublin, such as Lucinda Creighton in the Pembroke ward and Brian Gillen in Rathmines.
In Castleknock, another of Fine Gael's bright young things, Leo Varadkar has laid the ground for a Dáil challenge winning approximately two quotas.
In the past, Dún Laoghaire used to be Fine Gael's banker constituency, where it could always hope to win one, and often two Dáil seats.
In 2002, it ended up with nothing. After Friday, however, it will have father and daughter combination, John and Marie Bailey in DúLaoghaire and Ballybrack.
In addition, the success of Marie Baker in Blackrock offers Fine Gael the opportunity to carry out a three-pronged attack on the constituency.
"We will be looking to take 12 seats out of Dublin next time around. We now have three. We have found candidates to fill those positions," Flannery said.
Meanwhile, the party has found young candidates elsewhere, such as Brian Walsh in Galway, who are already being seen as part of a new generation of Fine Gael TDs.
In addition, Fine Gael is facing an under-pressure Fianna Fáil.Flannery argued: "Sinn Féin is doing to Fianna Fáil's vote what the PDs did to us.
"Bertie Ahern created Sinn Féin. They are his creation. And they are going to continue doing to Fianna Fáil what they have done to them in this election."
In addition, Fine Gael can be comforted by the discovery that at least for now Sinn Féin has not eaten into the Labour Party vote: "That is one of the great reliefs for me. We were afraid that Sinn Féin might damage Labour, but they didn't land a glove on them," he added.
In the months ahead, Fine Gael must begin the work to forge a credible policy platform with Labour and the Greens. In effect, it must create nothing less than a government-in-waiting.
The result in the Euro South constituency is probably even better than most of those involved in Simon Coveney's campaign would have dared to hope for.
The council victory for Jerry Buttimer on Cork's southside also offers the opportunity that he and Deirdre Clune can fight to retain Coveney's Dáil place, and, perhaps, add to it.
In the East constituency, Maireád McGuinness' victory may have come at the expense of Avril Doyle, though Fine Gael was insisting that the latter was still in with a chance.
Upset by McGuinness' arrival on the scene, Doyle's camp ended up irritating much of the rest of the party: "They never stopped whingeing," complained one party figure.
Speaking in the RDS, Kenny said: "The result shows that Fine Gael has regained its confidence and that it can lead a better alternative government to Fianna Fáil."
He said he had set four ambitions: to win four Euro seats; retain the majority of the 1999 local seats; find new Dáil candidates and increase the Fine Gael vote share on 2002.
"All of these objectives have been achieved. But it's half-time. It is now game on," said Kenny, before he left for the Euro count in Leinster.