After a day of good food, good wine and good wishes from the party faithful, the entire Cabinet, which assembled in Cork yesterday on the second of a series of meetings outside the capital, found that it had to take the long road back to Dublin.
The Government Gulfstream jet was parked on the ramp at Cork Airport waiting to bring the satisfied members of the cabinet back to the capital, but it wasn't to be because of fog in Dublin. A spokesman for the Government confirmed last night that the Cabinet members would be travelling back by road and most of them would be sharing cars - not necessarily Mercs - because once they arrived in Cork Airport by aircraft, between Monday evening and yesterday morning, they were assembled and bussed to their Cabinet meeting on the north side of Cork.
At Cork Airport, a duty officer said the pilots of the Government Gulfstream had already left the building and that the aircraft would therefore not be flying.
The travel arrangements might not have been out of the top drawer but the food was of the highest standard. When the Cabinet is on tour, only the best is good enough. Our Ministers, seemingly, do not like to deprive themselves or their guests. We do not know who had what because Cabinet meetings are confidential, but it is beyond doubt that a fabulous array of food was offered to all and sundry.
About 10 of the poor 15 Ministers at the Cabinet table were bussed to the centre in Cork at which the second Cabinet meeting was held outside of Dublin in the past two weeks.
The meeting took place at the Holyhill Youth Project offices in one of Cork's unemployment black-spots.
There might have been up to 20 Mercedes arriving but it is thought that on consideration, the spin doctors decided that an over-show of such cars in the area would not have been appropriate. That's why the coaches were used to bring most of the ministers to the Cork conference centre.
With that type of deprivation the ministers needed some solace. And it was provided by the head chef at The Commons Inn, Mr Eoin Neville, who dreamed up various delights to suit the cabinet.
This kind of fare is not often seen in Knocknaheeney but he felt it was his privilege to serve up this kind of food. It included salmon, stuffed chicken, beef, salads, a selection of fresh sea-foods and lemon tart to finish.
The chefs from The Commons Inn were brought in to prepare the food - a buffet for the cabinet - and were then asked to withdraw. Cabinet meetings, after all, are confidential.
But, of course, afterwards hundreds of people from regional organisations came to the conference centre at The Commons Inn to engage with the cabinet on regional issues and they also had to be fed. Unlike the cabinet they were given finger-food. And preparing finger-food for up to 450 people took 11 staff of The Commons Inn to make everything possible. What did it all cost? The conservative estimate is that it cost more than £5,000 and something less than £10,000.
It is understood that on occasions like these no money is paid up-front, instead the local hostelry must send a bill to the government. The cabinet's arrival in Cork was shrouded in fog and in the early morning, the Tanaiste, Mary Harney, was the first to arrive. But she soon knew what being a senior member of government was all about. She was surrounded by reporters and photographers on her arrival in City Hall to greet the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Damian Wallace but she was in mid-sentence when the Taoiseach's Mercedes arrived from the airport and somebody shouted "Bertie is here".
Within a thrice the Tanaiste was deserted and left to her own devices. Once Bertie arrived nobody wanted to talk to her. The Workers Party picketed the Cork cabinet meeting on the grounds of the disadvantaged area not being looked after properly.
Earlier at Cork Airport the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms Mary O'Rourke said she was opposed to the privatisation of Aer Rianta and said that the report of an expert group on the subject would be sent to cabinet next Tuesday.
This gave grounds for optimism among Aer Rianta staff at the airport, according to Mr Donie Harris, who has been campaigning to preserve the Aer Rianta structure.