IT IS 1.45pm on Saturday, 15 minutes before nominations close for the Fianna Fáil leadership. On the outskirts of Tullamore, Arthur Finnan, an expert in such matters, tells you the qualities required of the very best in the land, reports Harry McGee, Political Staff,in Tullamore, Co Offaly
"You look for quality and shape. The overall champion is better on his feet than the reserve." It must be pointed out that Mr Finnan, from Lyons Demesne, Co Kildare, is standing at the Golden Vale Mart and has just judged the champion bull at the annual Premier Show of the Irish Charolais Society. The champion he chose is a formidable beast, weighing in at almost a tonne.
A couple of minutes down the road on the main street of Tullamore, another best in show is being glad-handled, prodded, shaken and slapped by admirers.
But this is a very different breed of formidable beast. As a precaution, this one checks his mobile phone for the confirmatory text. It is official. In the political premier show, Brian Cowen is the overall champion.
Cowen is wise to journalistic tricks. When he learns of the Charolais bulls, his eyes roll to heaven, and he mutters something about "very, very smart journalists".
But he is poking a bit of humour and is at his ease on home turf, sipping a Lucozade in Dinan's on the main street.
The elevation obviously means a lot to him from a family perspective. "The Cowens have been involved in politics locally and nationally for 70 years. There have been three generations of this family involved," he said.
Still, there is some sadness surrounding his good news.
"Last week we buried my uncle, Fr Andrew, who was a Cistercian monk in Roscrea. Two months ago, my father's eldest brother passed away . . . My dad is long gone. He would have been proud if he were still alive.
"And [the death of his uncles] has tinged this occasion with sadness for me.
"And all those supporters and activists down that line who have supported [my family]. I am very aware and very proud of all those friends when this honour that is bestowed on me."
To be sure, those same supporters have flocked in to town to meet him, and the pride is obvious. Cowen's aura, in Offaly at least, out-Berties Bertie.
Typical of the response is that of Pat Kenny, a farmer from Belmont, who points to his intelligence and humour: "As an Offaly man, I am very proud. I have canvassed for him since he started in 1984. He's one of our own," said Mr Kenny.
Two Offaly hurling heroes from the 1990s are also in his company, the RTÉ panellist Michael Duignan and Joe Dooley, the county's new hurling manager.
Dooley first met Cowen in 1982.
"I would consider him a good friend. There's an impression that he's gruff, but that's not how he is seen here. He is somebody you can trust, somebody you can confide in," he said.
Duignan refers to the Bertie quality, and observes that Cowen knows every man, woman and child in the county.
"My own sense of him is that he cares particularly for the man who is less well off in society. And he loves a good yarn. A real life story. He's not into jokes as such. He loves characters."
Dooley pays a back-handed tribute to his dedication to the cause, if not his skill levels.
"There was a junior hurling semi-final between Clara and Ferbane. He was introduced after half-time to rescue a desperate situation. Well, there were so many hurls replaced that Clara ran out of hurls."
Brian Digan, another of the faithful, points out that when Cowen became Tánaiste, the first person he thought of was his father, the TD Ber Cowen who died in 1984.
"The same thoughts will be going through his head when he becomes Taoiseach."
Ger Scully, the editor of the Tullamore Tribune also contradicts the abrasive image.
"He sometimes comes across as gruff, but he's very approachable and ordinary in many ways. He loves the GAA. He likes a few pints. He's surprisingly self-effacing."
But still better on his feet than the reserve.