There wasn't an Orangeman in sight when the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Mary Freehill, walked from her home down Dawson Street to unveil the plaque commemorating the founding of the Orange Order two centuries ago.
Flanked by the mayors of Drogheda and Ballymoney, Co Antrim, Cllr Freehill yesterday laid the small bronze plaque in the pavement before 59 Dawson Street, occupied by offices of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.
It would, she hoped, be a "small contribution" to meeting the commitment of the Government under the Downing Street Declaration to promoting agreement and trust between both traditions in Ireland.
Following the cancellation three weeks ago of their planned march down the street, members of the Dublin/Wicklow Orange Lodge stayed away. Though scores of invitations were sent to others in the order, they also failed to attend.
Inscribed on the plaque on a background of neutral turquoise are the words: "The first meeting of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland was held on premises on this site on 9th April, 1798".
Cllr Freehill conceded that to many people in the Republic and to Northern nationalists, the Orange Order was an "alien and perhaps strange organisation.
"But the order represents a significant strand in the politics and culture of those claiming a British-Irish identity.
"It is part of our shared history and should be recognised as such."
The event drew a crowd of about 150 into the pre-shower sunshine.
There were curious Dubliners, a few puzzled tourists and a bevy of protesters from the Irish National Congress.
These carried placards with messages such as "Dublin says no to sectarianism," as well as a mock Orange banner comparing the Orange Order to the KuKlux-Klan.
A spokeswoman, Ms Mary Lou McDonald, said the congress was not opposed to the unveiling of the plaque.
The protesters were there to register their "strenuous objections" to the way the Lord Mayor had engaged with the Orange Order.
She accused Cllr Freehill of failing to recognise the scale of the sectarian problem in Ireland and of "ingratiating" herself with an organisation "which continues to foster division and fear".
Political figures were notably absent, aside from a few Labour councillors. One-time party colleagues in the Workers' Party and now political foes, Mr Proinsias de Rossa TD and Mr Tomas Mac Giolla, studiously avoided each other in the small crowd.
One Independent Dublin City Councillor, Mr Finian McGrath, said he was there to protest at the "appalling" involvement of the city's first citizen with the Orange Order.
"There's a big difference between accommodating Unionist and Protestant traditions and accommodating the sectarianism of the Orange Order."
As the protesters argued with peace activists on the street, Cllr Freehill led her small band of guests back up to the Mansion House for tea.
On the day, it was the nearest we got to a parade.
