Dáil Sketch / Michael O'Regan:Beverley Flynn replaced John O'Donoghue as the target of Opposition attack yesterday. The Ceann Comhairle was in a relaxed if wary mood when it became clear that the Opposition had called a temporary ceasefire.
Enda Kenny made a fleeting reference to Tuesday's row following a pre-emptive strike by Mr O'Donoghue, in the event of a renewed Opposition attack, at the start of proceedings. Opposition leaders' questions would be taken under Standing Order 27, which allowed for a brief question, he said.
Mr Kenny remarked: "I hope the Ceann Comhairle's enthusiasm is a little more restrained today. I did not know that the Ceann Comhairle brought his own china shop with him." Mr O'Donoghue smiled, knowing that this was the mere language of battle rather than a full-frontal attack.
Then Mr Kenny turned to the alleged deal the Taoiseach did with his fellow Mayo TD, Ms Flynn. She was absent from the chamber.
"As far as I can ascertain, RTÉ is the only State agency that would appear to be affected by any deal with Deputy Flynn, having come to an agreement with her to write off a large part of the monies claimed to be due arising from a court case," he said.
"The Taoiseach's comments, before the court case, were quite extraordinary and are causing confusion as to whether this was part of some deal." Mr Ahern insisted there was no discussion between him, as Fianna Fáil leader or as Taoiseach, with Deputy Flynn regarding her case, or her settlement with RTÉ.
"She did not raise the issue," he added. Fine Gael's Padraic McCormack, with mock admiration, remarked: "She is a lady." Mr O'Donoghue looked on, glad no doubt that a political civil war in Mayo had replaced a possible renewed challenge to his judgment in the discharge of his office.
Pat Rabbitte, also a Mayo native, did not hold back when he took up Kenny's challenge to the Taoiseach. He quoted from an interview in which Ms Flynn had said that the Taoiseach had "verbally agreed a very generous package" for Mayo.
Raising the political temperature, he asked: "Who is telling the truth and who is telling the untruths, or have we reached the stage where we are unable to see the distinction?"
An angry Mr Ahern described as "contemptuous" an assertion that he would ask a State company to involve itself in a settlement with a member of any side of the House.
In a divide-and-conquer strategy, Labour's Emmet Stagg suggested that Ms Flynn's native Castlebar would do better than Ballina in any deal.
Meanwhile, FF backbencher Seán Ardagh lowered his eyes in a gesture of mourning when Mr Rabbitte said he should be a junior minister.
Mr O'Donoghue did his job in a sweetly reasonable voice as he did his job of calling the various speakers. He sometimes joined his hands, looking straight ahead with an expression which bordered on the angelic.
Mr O'Donoghue, who is nobody's fool, will know that it was a fragile temporary ceasefire. In time, he will face parliamentary Scud missiles and attempted punishment beatings for decisions perceived to be unfair. There will be no hope of a permanent peace process. There will be no Opposition offer to destroy verbal weapons.
The Ceann Comhairle is garnering his formidable parliamentary skills to protect his politically neutral office, and his own back, in what will be a long war.