It being mid-summer and all that, Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys decided to throw a little party on Wednesday night for her female staff and party colleagues.

It was a chance for them to get together and talk (not) about handbags, babies and the best washing powder for getting out tough stains.

Leinster House can be a daunting place sometimes for women TDs and Senators. The prevailing culture is overwhelmingly male and there is often the inescapable feeling that the institution is just a big boys’ club.

The women may also have discussed the culinary prowess of Tony Lawlor, FG TD for Kildare North, who was regaling fellow deputies all week with accounts of how he cooks a whole salmon in the dishwasher.

We hear the party was going so well the windows in Heather’s office were opened to let in some air. Her department shares the building on Kildare Street with Richard Bruton’s Department of Jobs and Enterprise. Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is on the ground floor.

A few bottles of vino were uncorked and then some more.The soiree continued and a good time was had by all. Heather led by example. First, in her best Monaghan accent, she recited what we understand was “a rather earthy and bawdy” poem about men. As a follow-up, she wowed the crowd by warbling a popular song by the Carpenters.“I’m on the top of the world, looking down on creation . . .”