"We shared a strange adventure," Mary McAleese said of her fellow candidates last night, minutes after her election as President. Enid Blyton might have agreed. Five go on a Strange Adventure looked like ending badly, when only four turned up for the 10.45 p.m. declaration. But Adi Roche, who had been notably absent when the first count was announced, appeared at the 11th hour - literally - and provided the adventure with a happy conclusion.
Her absence had not been the only mystery of the night. Not for the first time, people were wondering about Mary McAleese's true colours as she arrived at Dublin Castle in triumph. It was only her suit on this occasion, but it was proving equally problematic. Someone suggested it was purple; someone else said lilac; "grape-coloured" suggested a third. Even in victory, Mrs McAleese would not be pigeon-holed.
But the suit blended nicely with the maroon stage backdrop in St Patrick's Hall which, in another happy coincidence, was almost the same colour as the matching ties of Bertie Ahern and Martin McAleese. It all made a perfect picture, completed by the presence of Brian Lenihan's two TD sons - seven years to the day from their father's mid-campaign sacking by Charles Haughey.
That was only a poignant memory last night. Seven years on, a fully co-ordinated Fianna Fáil had reclaimed the Áras - with some help from the PDs - and all was well with the world.
We had white smoke over Dublin Castle hours before we had a declaration. A fire which engulfed a derelict building in nearby Stephen Street sent thick smoke billowing into the sky early in the afternoon, causing photographers at the Castle vigil to go scampering to the scene.
The smoke might have been telling us we had a president, but there were several hours to go and fog in the Aran Islands to overcome before we would have a first-count declaration, or a sight of any of the candidates.
As night fell, Adi Roche was first to arrive, followed by Derek Nally and Mary Banotti, who aborted her entrance to do an interview. Then the Dana entourage came in, the first of the losers to look triumphant. But the second coming of Banotti upped the ante in the celebration stakes, with the candidate's daughter Tania - who had moments earlier wept on a friend's shoulder - recovering her poise and beaming as brightly as her mother.
When the counting of the Aran Islands votes finally allowed Galway West to declare, the way was clear for the winners to arrive and, looking appropriately regal, the McAleese entourage walked through the gates. It was a good-humoured finale. Mrs McAleese chatted with another Rostrevor citizen, Damien Scallon, and onlookers joked about a Northern conspiracy.
The setting provided another twist to the theme. The declarations took place under a portrait of St Patrick lighting the Paschal fire on the Hill of Slane. Fifteen centuries on, another notable Christian had come south, stopping in Meath along the way, with conversion on her mind. Bertie Ahern looked on and smiled with the serenity of a convert.