Media presence:If inside the marble halls, the proceedings lacked theatricality and snappy soundbites, around the lawns of Parliament Buildings the outside broadcast vans dutifully lined up to record the final act of a long and often tedious peace process.
They came from as far away as Egypt and, for many, it was the culmination of years of reporting on this once troubled spot.
Mary Jordan from the Washington Post is one of the old-timers and she admitted to a sense of satisfaction in finally seeing the end-game being played out. "It was procedural and a bit boring to watch but you could see the smile on Blair and Ahern's face because it is a big deal even if the event was kind of boring," she noted.
"The world needs a good news story now. The bombs and bullets are away and they're talking about water rates. My next story will be Belfast, the tourist destination."
Journalists covering the major political events in the North have long bemoaned the sometimes inadequate facilities. Yesterday all had changed, with gleaming marquees and broadband connection. There was also none of the usual tension - will they/won't they? - or show-stopping events such as loyalist Michael Stone's one-man assault on Parliament Buildings just last November.