Charlie McCreevy's wit, nifty organisation, sheepish appearances by some of the Cabinet - all mixed with blunt economic realities managed yesterday to quell, for now, grumbles among Fianna Fáil TDs, senators and MEPs.
Concerned that the troops were revolting, Fianna Fáil managers threw the agenda for the two-day Killarney parliamentary party out the window just hours before the show began.
Instead of dealing first with the party's preparations for the Nice referendum, they decided that complaints about cutbacks and the perception of cutbacks had to be nipped in the bud.
Up first, the Taoiseach adopted the "I, too, suffer, brother" routine as he dealt in detail with the disappearance of his dream of a national stadium
Micheál Martin and Noel Dempsey were up next wearing the latest little number of the political season: sack-cloth and ashes, as they bowed their heads and apologised for some breakdowns in communications.
"They stormed the meeting. They came in with their hands up, totally took the sting out of it. Then, they warned us about the international economic situation. And then they took a break and left us with no chance to ask questions," said one TD.
Prepared to admire his skill, the TD went on: "McCreevy played a blinder. I have to hand it to him. It was as good a performance as I have ever seen. He mixed wit with economics."
Urging TDs to show some "bottle", he said they would have to learn from Kilkenny's All-Ireland hurlers and "go up the middle and take the knocks". Unhappy voters would have to be told the blunt realities.
In the past, members of the parliamentary party had harried Ministers in an attempt to get their pet projects off the ground. Those days are gone. "Ministers have their purse of money and that is it," Mr McCreevy said.
In the past, unhappy TDs had gone to the Taoiseach when they were refused elsewhere. Looking towards Mr Ahern, his Minister for Finance declared: "I have to tell you now that he never came next, nor near me about 99.9 per cent of those requests."
The Taoiseach smiled a little sheepishly beside him.
Inside the meeting, Mr Ahern acknowledged there had been shortcomings during the summer because of holidays, departures and the transfer of people after the general election.
Outside, he said all of that too, but he went on, pointedly, to say (a) there is little political news in August, and (b) they were back in the Dáil in early September. By implication, TDs and senators could have caught up with developments.
The question now is whether the Killarney outing will soothe rattled Fianna Fáil nerves. TDs must still return to constituents unhappy that the mood music surrounding the economy has changed so badly, so quickly.
