Nora Owen became the first woman to lead Fine Gael - but for little more than a week. ail on Thursday morning. Her duties included chairing two frontbench meetings, leading the Opposition at questions to the Taoiseach and presiding over procedural matters pertaining to yesterday's election. There was much jokey speculation within the parliamentary party about whether she would reshuffle her team (she didn't!), but she did invite the frontbench up for a drink to her office. Some are unlikely to receive such an invitation again. There were only four deputy leaders in FG - Tom O'Higgins, Peter Barry, John Bruton and herself - Owen said, and she was proud to have held the position and been the only woman to have done so. She won't be deputy again. The new leader will choose their own. Why didn't she run for the leadership? "Although I received a lot of phone calls urging me to do so, I weighed up the situation and I probably would not have the support of the parliamentary party because I was so closely associated with John, and had been a loyal deputy leader since March, 1993. But I will continue to be very much part of Fine Gael, and there is a very strong future for Fine Gael."