Disappointed at the poor showing of their daughter in the presidential election, Adi Roche's parents said their home town of Clonmel, Co Tipperary, was nonetheless as proud of her as they were. "She kept her dignity throughout. We were a bit worried about her going into the election; but she grew into the role. As she said herself, it was a great honour to be selected as a presidential candidate - I think the people of Clonmel saw that too. We don't think she has anything to be ashamed of - we feel nothing but pride for her," her father, Sean, said.
The elderly couple - Mr Roche is 85, his wife, Chris, is 79 - followed the race closely and as parents were highly impressed with the way their daughter handled herself. "She's exhausted. She should take a holiday. You can say that Clonmel stood to her and took her to their hearts as one of their own. She went to school here - she used to row with the Clonmel rowing club - that was the only outdoor activity she had. There were so many telephone calls during the campaign. `She's one of us, why wouldn't we support her?' they would say. She even got a mayoral reception," Mrs Roche added.
The reception was hosted by the Mayor of Clonmel, Mr Tommy Norris, who said it was obvious from the count that South Tipperary had stood faithfully behind Adi Roche. "She got almost 16 per cent of the vote in South Tipperary, so in that sense she wasn't let down at all. The town was very proud of her and still is - and there is great support here for the work she has done with the Chernobyl Children's Project. The nomination of a Clonmel person as a presidential candidate was a great honour for the town - that's the way people saw it, but I think they were also surprised at the calamitous drop in support for her.
"Politics is a funny old game - the mud-slinging against Mary McAleese rebounded on the mudslingers - the mud-slinging against Adi really hurt her. I don't think she will return to politics because her other work demands her full time and attention."
At the Presentation Convent in Clonmel, Sister Clare, who taught Adi Roche for five years in secondary school, said the polls had ruined her. "I followed the debates as we all did here and I think that the polls worked against her. In my view, there shouldn't have been any polls. The claims made against her by her former workmates did her damage, and that was a pity. Adi was always great at debating in school, she always spoke very well and behaved very well - we are all very proud of her. She calls back to us from time-to-time, and knowing her as I do, I can only say that at the end of the day, she will come out on top. I do believe that."
Mr Des Delahunty, president of Clonmel Chamber of Commerce, said the people of the town wished Adi the best in her future life. The town was extremely proud of her nomination as a presidential candidate and it was also proud of the good work she does for the children of Chernobyl.
"She brought a breath of fresh air to the campaign. I would rather not comment on the smears against her because I think the chamber should stay out of politics. But I know that the family feels she was hurt by the smears. Politics is a hard business; but she's a great worker and a great woman. Adi will come through." Mr Patrick Power, a retired businessman, said that while he knew Adi Roche only from the television, he was well acquainted with her family. "I'm a Fianna Failer but I gave her my Number One - I supported my home town. Win or lose, I wanted to give her a chance," he added.
His son Tommy, a teacher in the town, said it was a measure of Adi's character that his father should abandon his political leanings to support her.
In Dillon Street, Mr James Roche said the polls spoke for themselves. Adi Roche had not got the support she expected in the town. "Actually, she's not very well-known here, she's probably better known in Cork. Just because she was from the town originally did not mean that she would automatically get everyone's number one vote. All the same, it was a pity the way the campaign went. It never really developed," he said.
At the Coachman's Inn, Ms Catherine Hickey, who went to school with Adi Roche, said the election was the main topic among her customers. However, she added, most of the people coming into the pub were McAleese supporters. "There was lots of debate in the bar as the campaign went on, but the consensus was that McAleese was the better woman. There was no great disappointment here at the result, most of the customers were delighted that Mary McAleese won - that's being honest."