Dail Sketch/Marie O'Halloran: It was a day of anger, strong emotion and mirth. The anger and passion was evident throughout the day in the speeches and arguments about the controversial hepatitis C Bill to compensate people infected by bad blood products.
The ongoing tragedy has sporadically convulsed the nation over more than a decade as stories have emerged of some 90 people who have died as a result of infected blood products, of the negligence by the blood transfusion service and the impact on the victims' loved ones.
Two tribunals have resulted, and some 1,700 people are affected by the Bill's provisions. Groups representing the victims, however, believe the legislation significantly limits the categories of people who will benefit.
This argument was vehemently expressed by Opposition deputies and in a more restrained fashion by some Government backbenchers as 38 women and two men affected by the tragedy watched from the spectators' gallery. After trenchant exchanges between Tánaiste Mary Harney and Opposition TDs before the Bill was debated, it was some comments by mild-mannered Fianna Fáil backbencher Peter Kelly that provoked a walkout by the group of 40.
They were incensed by some of his remarks. The Longford-Roscommon TD may have been unaware of the impact of his statements. He said that "millions of people all over the world have this virus infection, and most people with hepatitis C live as long as anyone else. Many never develop serious problems, but some will need active treatment at some stage of the illness. A small number of people with hepatitis C have progressive liver disease that does not respond to existing treatments."
He also spoke of the damage they had already been suffered.
But it was too late and the incensed group, without making a verbal protest, left the gallery.
It naturally overshadowed the earlier mirth provoked by the adventures of Enda "Kenya" Kenny and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell who earlier in the week seemed to be trying to outdo each other in machismo.
Mr Kenny had told the Dáil about being mugged by two people with a knife, an incident which occurred in Kenya. Mr McDowell talked of holding a burglar in his parents' home at bay with a poker when he was 19.
Fine Gael's Jim O'Keeffe had asked the Tánaiste about immigration legislation and Mr McDowell's failure to answer his questions. Ms Harney replied that Mr McDowell "is considering extraditing to Ireland the persons responsible for the incident with Deputy Kenny in Kenya, so he may have to rethink the legislation to deal with that".
Socialist TD Joe Higgins was of the view that "the country is still reeling from the terrifying image of the Minister for Justice brandishing a poker as a callow youth. I thought he might have used a silver spoon instead."
Ms Harney smiled slightly but said naught when Joe asked "since he was apparently trying to protect what he regarded as his, was any poker brandished during his recent duels with the Tánaiste".