Old Cork City Council friends made sure to be there for Micheál Martin's appointment as Taoiseach

On Wednesday evening, the Dáil chamber emptied after uproar over the granting of opposition speaking time to four Independent TDs supporting the Government led to the day’s final suspension of the house.

Amid chaotic scenes, the new Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy, had repeatedly lost control of the chamber — being forced to halt proceedings at that point three times — and the debacle culminated with numerous opposition TDs on their feet, shouting at her.

Such was the tumult, Ms Murphy’s announcement of an adjournment until the next morning went unheard, even just above and behind her seat, in the press gallery.

As reporters came from the corridor leading to the press gallery, they met members of the Martin family as they left the distinguished visitors’ gallery — which is on the same level of the Dáil chamber.

Seán Martin, who succeeded his brother Micheál onto Cork City Council in 1999 and followed in his footsteps to serve as lord mayor, spotted this reporter and quipped: 

“I’ll tell you one thing, you wouldn’t see that in Cork City Council.”

To be fair, it was hard to imagine such scenes of pandemonium occurring in Cork City Hall, even if the memory did wander back to the December 2023 meeting in which then lord mayor, Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy, had a running battle with then councillor for An Rabhartas Glas Lorna Bogue, with Mr McCarthy saying “councillor, take your seat please” 38 times in just over two minutes.

Still, it was indeed hard to imagine any lord mayor allowing a situation to develop where an unholy row over speaking rights and a pro-forma protest about a two-week break would threaten to bring down the metaphorical roof.

Mind you, if there had been a quorum needed in City Hall this week, Fianna Fáil might have found itself in trouble — as all but one of its city councillors were in Leinster House for Micheál Martin’s delayed by 24 hours big day. Work commitments had prevented Fergal Dennehy from travelling to Dublin, but the remaining eight councillors were there.

Mary Rose Desmond, who works as Mr Martin’s parliamentary assistant, would have been in Leinster House anyway, but she was joined by first-time councillors Margaret McDonald and Terry Coleman, and no fewer than five former lords mayor — six if her boss was included in the count.

Former lord mayor Terry Shannon, who said he had started out in politics with Mr Martin over 40 years ago, suggested that the collective term for lords mayor is “a college”.

Not, as one wag suggested, a chain gang. Dr John Sheehan was spotted in the scrum when the new Taoiseach emerged from Leinster House, and Colm Kelleher was in attendance with his wife Sandra Murphy Kelleher — who had run unsuccessfully in November’s general election.

Tony Fitzgerald, described admiringly by a colleague as “some man for getting into a photo” seemed to be in several places at once and scored a mention on RTÉ’s Liveline.

Even though the 24-hour delay meant some had to get the last train out on Wednesday and the first train back on Thursday, it was a huge day for Cork’s Taoiseach. His old friends from Cork City Council made sure they were there for him.