As expected and as Drapier predicted last week, the bookies got it right. Mary Upton will be a welcome addition to the House, continuing a fine tradition and with her own distinctive contribution to make. Michael Mulcahy had to face defeat once again, but his performance was better than many had predicted and he should now be a front runner for one of the upcoming Fianna Fail Seanad places. Fine Gael's Catherine Byrne made a promising debut and will be well placed to challenge for a second seat come the general election.
In Aengus O Snodaigh Sinn Fein had a presentable candidate, and while the party made progress it didn't achieve the breakthrough some of its members had been talking about. Much has been made of the low poll, with pundits going back to the 1940s to find such a poor turnout. To listen to some of the comments, it's almost as if the end of the political world is nigh and at the very least red lights should be flashing and alarm bells ringing.
Drapier takes a more relaxed view. Very little was at stake in this by-election - or at least as far as the public mood was concerned. And in spite of the presence of good candidates, reasonable organisation and plenty of effort by all parties, this view did not change throughout the campaign. The only national issue to intrude was sleaze, and Fianna Fail canvassers in particular took a hammering at the doorsteps. Few will want to hear the word Charvet for a long time to come.
But that said, the "feel good" factor insulated Fianna Fail and made for a subdued campaign which never caught the public imagination. There was no excitement, no buzz, and there was nothing we could do to generate it.
In specific terms, few of those Drapier met on the doorsteps felt the outcome mattered all that much. A win for Fianna Fail would be an endorsement of Bertie Ahern, and in the current climate that was not on. A win for Mary Upton meant the status quo, no threat to the stability of the Government, but no pat on the back for it either.
There may well be a more scientific explanation for the low turnout, and no doubt in time our academics will tell us what it was, but for the moment all Drapier can say is that many voters simply saw the result as making no real difference and acted accordingly. Drapier regrets this. The vote is too important ever to be taken for granted, but then abstention is an option, and one that carries its own warning to all of us.
Meanwhile, the nurses' dispute is on hold. Drapier didn't need opinion polls to tell him that the public mood supported the nurses, but Drapier would not bet on that mood lasting.
Drapier believes the strike has done long-term damage to relations in the medical world and will leave long-term scars. Nor does he believe we are out of the wood yet. The strike was launched on a wave of high expectations and in a mood of emotional frenzy. Such a mood is more easily generated than defused, as may soon become clear.
What has emerged from the Labour Court - reasonable as it may seem to outsiders - falls very far short of those high and at times vague expectations. It is by no means certain that Liam Doran, having led his troops up the hill, may find it quite so easy to lead them down again.
Drapier hopes the nurses will accept the Labour Court offer. This strike is bad for all concerned, but at this point Drapier is by no means confident that we are near a final resolution.
Meanwhile, by one of those ironies of timing, the death took place last week, almost at the same time as that of Jack Lynch, of a man known to very many of us in here, Gerry Jones. Gerry was dead and buried before any of us knew about it, and many of us would have liked to pay our final respects, but it was not to be.
The irony of timing relates to the fact that for many years Gerry Jones and Jack Lynch were close friends, with a common Cork heritage and many interests in common. The Arms Trial, however, sundered that friendship with a finality that was total.
During those years Gerry Jones was never far from the side of Neil Blaney, and with his distinctive black eye patch he became something of a national figure. He could frequently be seen dining at the "Letterkenny" table in the Dail restaurant along with Paudge Brennan, Kevin Boland, Paddy McGowan and others. Drapier liked Gerry Jones even if he rarely agreed with him. Gerry was a man of great generosity who helped many a lame dog, always quietly and with no ulterior motive. He had great charm and old-style courtesy, always a twinkle in the good eye and with a mischievous sense of humour. He was great and irreverent company, and even though he had grown frail in recent times it was always a pleasure to meet him. Although he was never elected, many in here regarded him as an essential part of Leinster House.
Drapier has to give full marks this week to the President, Mrs McAleese, who hosted a reception on Wednesday for retired members of both Houses of the Oireachtas. Drapier wrote a moment ago about finality, and for many who lose their seats or retire, the break with Leinster House is often a final one - sometimes brutally so. Few bother coming back to the House, often because they are unsure of the welcome they will get or whether they will even be remembered. All the more credit then to Mrs McAleese. Drapier met some of his former colleagues later on Wednesday and they were unanimous in their praise for the President - both for the reception itself and the warmth of the welcome she gave them.
Finally this week, there is the question of Charlie Haughey's treatment at Jack Lynch's funeral. In Drapier's view what happened was despicable, even if, as Drapier believes, the events were greatly exaggerated.
Charlie Haughey did not have to go to Cork. He could easily and respectably have gone to the service at Mount Argus and discharged his responsibilities. He chose, perhaps ill-advisedly, to go to Cork, and it was a brave decision. He knew there would be no welcome, that there could be unpleasantness, but he went nevertheless. In Drapier's view his decision did him credit.
Drapier knows too that Des O'Malley and Charles Haughey exchanged handshakes. Both men are sticklers for protocol and for proper behaviour. Both knew the solemnity of the occasion, and neither was going to be petty.
There are few enough with a good word for Charlie Haughey these days. But going to Cork was a brave act from a man under huge pressure. It did not deserve to be misrepresented.