Somehow, Brexit had slipped down the agenda in these European Parliament elections.
It was an extraordinary thing to happen.
But amid the politeness greeting candidates on the doorsteps, few were keen to return to what had been a ubiquitous topic up to that point.
But that all changed in last night's Midlands North West election debate on RTÉ.
Here, a detailed history of the candidates' approaches to the subject was revealed.
Independent Luke 'Ming' Flanagan admitted mistakes in once thinking it was a good idea. Now he warns Britain not to leave behind a train wreck.
Another Independent, Peter Casey, is sticking by his view that Ireland still needs to have a discussion about leaving the EU.
Cue much criticism from Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness and Fianna Fáil’s Brendan Smith.
If Brexit leads to border posts on the Island of Ireland, People Before Profit candidate Cyril Brennan warned they could be dismantled using peaceful protests.
The tax system for international companies here was also a dominant theme.
It allowed Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy to colourfully impart some wisdom when he spoke about the importance of how one is perceived.
He advised that just like being an early riser or a good kisser, it was others' perception of these qualities that mattered most.
The most divisive part of this debate was unquestionably the discussion on migration.
Labour's Dominic Hannigan pleaded for more to be done to integrate those seeking refuge here.
Those views were echoed by Green candidate Saoirse McHugh who warned against scaremongering.
These comments were in response to claims by Peter Casey that "welfare tourists" and "freeloaders" were arriving in Ireland.
