Jackie Healy-Rae, who has died at the age of 83, was a colourful politician.
His cap, his way of speaking and his unique wit all made him stand out.
But he was, above all, always courteous and canny.
This combination helped him twice agree deals to support governments, first in 1997, and again ten years later.
That 2007 agreement reportedly included a government promise of €70m to improve roads in his constituency.
Importantly too, it gave him access to the taoiseach's office.
Many saw this as the worst form of parish pump politics, played out on the national stage.
The man himself was unapologetic and he was successfully returned by the voters in Kerry South in three elections.
However, his decision to run in 1997 as an independent was a reluctant one.
This was, after all, a man who had been a loyal Fianna Fáil councillor and trusted election organiser, dating back almost three decades at that stage.
Yet Fianna Fáil did not want him to run for the Dáil, and that proved costly for the party as they had to promise him much more than many government backbenchers.
Healy-Rae enjoyed the national profile, but in the end he kept all his politics local.
In the words of the man himself, he wouldn't try to do anything different, but rather try to do a "hell of a lot more of the same".
Former independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae dies
