On Tuesday, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, arrived into the Cabinet Room for the weekly meeting of ministers, nursing a viral infection.
Yesterday, he stayed at home while in the Dail, the coup de grace was being delivered to one of his favoured pieces of legislation.
Since 1995, he has wanted to stop TDs sitting on local authorities. Yesterday, the measure fell before the Independent TDs, Mr Jackie Healy-Rae, Ms Mildred Fox, Mr Harry Blaney and Mr Tom Gildea.
The defeat can be seen as a metaphor for the Minister's time in office - great promise, much action in the beginning, but it all ran out of steam.
In June 1997, the Minister was seen as one of the best: "Most Fianna Fail TDs saw him as a candidate for leadership. Few would do so now," said one colleague.
In those days, he promised the Dail would be reformed, errant drivers would face penalty points on their licences, a national waste policy would be put in place.
But on Dail reform, he failed entirely. On others, he ran into the brick wall found so often in government. On some he just could not make up his mind.
But he has worked hard: "He understands his brief better than any other minister that I have dealt with," said one observer.
Another quarter is less complimentary: "He is very astute, but careful in the extreme. But he doesn't want to make a mistake. He won't make decisions."
In Opposition he promised national action on waste. But Ireland's waste mountain has mushroomed and recycling is still in its infancy.
In Brussels, EU Environment Commissioner Ms Margot Wallstrom has grown tired of Irish delaying tactics, particularly about water quality.
On Dail reform, he wanted to cut TDs' numbers to 100, overhaul Leinster House's archaic ways, create single-seat constituencies and list systems.
Such change would have been an honourable legacy for any politician and curbed the clientelism that has bedevilled politics. However, so far he has done nothing.
Failure is not a black mark, says one supporter: "The reason why he failed is because of the profound decay in the system." Events, perhaps, have not helped. The economy has boomed, bringing unprecedented development in its wake. Desperately trying to cope, the planning system has creaked.
Under Kyoto, Ireland's 2010 greenhouse gas emissions are supposed to be just 13 per cent higher than they were in 1991. Today, some fear they are 30 per cent ahead.
The public may judge him on house prices. When he entered office, the average house cost £74,000. Today, it is £135,000 - in Dublin, it rises to £175,000.
Fianna Fail and the PDs have trusted more in the power of the market than in State action to fix the housing crisis.
The Minister ordered that builders use 20 per cent of their land for social and affordable housing. They were incensed and delayed projects.
Doing little to help, Mr McCreevy dropped plans to impose a 60 per cent capital gains tax on all lands not released for residential development by April 2002.
Mr Dempsey has since stood firm and under the legislation, planning permissions lapse after two years if the 20 per cent target is not met.
In Leinster House yesterday, the questions about Mr Dempsey had little to do with Kyoto or Wallstrom. Rather they concern judgment.
"Seamus Brennan knew months ago that the Independents were not for turning. Noel refused to see it. He made a bad situation worse," said one TD.