All day Matt Farrell has been working the phones at his home just outside Ballina, Co Mayo.
In the hours before lunchtime, the Chair of the local Fianna Fáil Comhairle Ceantair fielded queries from party members keen to know if there was any white smoke in relation to the possible promotion of their man.
When Dara Calleary's appointment as Minister for Agriculture was confirmed shortly after 12:30pm, Mr Farrell was dealing with two mobiles and a landline ringing off the hook.
He faced similar challenges last Monday fortnight when Deputy Calleary was overlooked for a senior portfolio at Cabinet. On that occasion, the lifetime Fianna Fáil member didn’t hide his annoyance.
"Micheál Martin needn’t show his nose in Ballina," he told Midwest Radio, saying the new Taoiseach would not be welcome, given the perceived snub to his Mr Calleary when it came to Ministerial appointments.
Today, Matt Farrell rowed back. The Taoiseach now has a strong invitation, not only to the north Mayo town, but also to Mr Farrell’s home, where the kettle is on, in anticipation of a mug of tea and a chat.
The change of heart reflects shifting emotions on the political roundabout.
Mr Farrell said he is "very happy" that Dara Calleary has been made a Minister. "I would hate to think what the reaction would have been, had Dara been overlooked a second time," he told RTÉ.
Instead, local Fianna Fáil members are planning to unfurl their flags and set bonfires for the return of the new Minister to the region in the coming days.
And, in a sign that all has been forgiven, the new Chief Whip’s links with Newport in Co Mayo are emphasised by Mr Farrell, who said Jack Chambers’ appointment is a double win for Mayo.
The remark may be made in jest, but it emphasises the keen sense of hurt that was felt by party members in the region, when the initial Cabinet appointments were made on the last weekend in June.
The absence of a senior Minister from the north west, west and mid west was seen as a deliberate slight and played to a long standing notion that regions this side of the Shannon play second fiddle to the rest of the country.
It prompted critical editorials in local papers and, in The Western People, a contention that Micheál Martin had created "a Cabinet fit for Cromwell".
Contrary views that the Government rules for all citizens, with geographical considerations a moot point, did little to assuage the anger felt by many people. The perception is so long standing that it’s become the received wisdom.
Ultimately, the appointment of one Mayo minister to Cabinet won’t alter those views. But on the streets of Ballina today, most locals were delighted.
Many spoke of the Calleary dynasty, of which the new Minister is the third generation to serve in the Dáil (Dara was preceded by his father Seán and grandfather Phelim).
The family’s decades-long link with political life has forged bonds with countless people, of all political hues.
Many locals spoke of elevation as being a just reward for Dara Calleary's long standing service.
Crossmolina-based Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael Loftus downplayed the disappointment that was felt just over a fortnight ago. But he said there is no doubting that a Ministerial portfolio is a major boost for the area.
While Dara Calleary’s appointment might ease local upset, it also means that "we get our speak in at Government level".
He feels that as a result, "we’re going to achieve things in this area that we haven’t achieved before".
A telling view, after the "new politics" of the last Dáil, the tenure of Enda Kenny as Taoiseach and the appointment of Fine Gael’s Michael Ring as a senior minister in the last Government.
All politics might be local. But when it comes to party allegiance and rivalry, it goes way deeper than that ... even when your rivals are your partners in coalition.
