They gathered at the parish pump in the Co Meath town of Dunshaughlin yesterday to welcome their adopted daughter, the President, Mrs McAleese, on her first public visit since her inauguration.
Mrs McAleese was in Dunshaughlin to honour a pre-election pledge that her first official outing as President would be to the town which was her home for a decade until 1987.
The sincerity of this gesture was not lost on Mrs McAleese's former neighbours who draped the main street in bunting and braved the wind and rain to greet her warmly.
With presidential punctuality, Mrs McAleese's car pulled up beside the pump, outside Dunshaughlin National School, at precisely 12.30 p.m.
"Set down the umbrellas. Don't go poking anybody's eyes out," said a garda to the huddled gathering as Mrs McAleese stepped out of the car.
She was greeted by the local TDs, Fine Gael leader Mr John Bruton and Minister of State Ms Mary Wallace. "Ah hello John. Howarya? Lovely to see you," she said, shaking his hand.
Inside the school, Mrs McAleese was mobbed by young children whooping and screaming and fervently waving tricolours. None of them paid any attention to the former Taoiseach, who looked on with a wide smile as Mrs McAleese bent over to shake dozens of tiny hands. Then an older child piped up: "Hello John Bruton," and a round of handshaking with him followed.
Exactly eight minutes later, the President was out the door and heading for the local Gaelscoil, where she was greeted with more pre-pubescent screaming and flagwaving.
Eleven minutes after touching down there, she arrived at Dunshaughlin National School for the final stage of the social triathalon. She was plied with gifts, including a painting based on the Come to the Edge poem she had read at her inauguration. Music was supplied by the Castletown Youth Band and another group which included visually impaired students from several schools.
Mrs McAleese told the audience she was both a past pupil and lecturer at the school. Keeping to her election theme of building bridges, the President described Dunshaughlin as the "perfect bridge" between urban and rural, strangers and locals.
"The friendships that I enjoy here in Dunshaughlin and the relationships that I have with this community, I hope will endure for many years to come," she said.
Mrs McAleese's brightest smile was reserved for the Dunshaughlin Ladies' Choir, of which she was a former member. They sang a song about peace. "Great," she said when they had finished. They smiled back proudly.