Adi Roche returned to her home town last night - not in the blaze of publicity she has come to expect in recent days but to a prolonged standing ovation from Clonmel's Chernobyl children's project.
The media had been discouraged from attending. There was obvious anxiety on both sides not to confuse the issues nor to foster the impression that the project was being used as a pawn in the presidential election campaign. A spokesman from the Labour press office said he would not have been there at all but for the stories which have arisen in recent days.
If anything, the allegations washing around Adi Roche appear to have strengthened the support in the town for its native child. Local Fianna Fail man and president of the Chamber of Commerce, Des Delahunty, said: "The feeling locally is that Adi is going to make it. You couldn't pay for the publicity she has got in the past few days. I think there have been a couple of vendettas there - issues like the letters being got into Dail Eir eann. A lot of people are very upset about it."
One of the participants at the meeting, Carol Morrissey, said: "All the talk in Clonmel is that the hounding of the media is actually getting her votes" and her fellow project member, Sheila O'Keeffe, said: "I was so relieved when I heard the details of what was being promoted as a scandal. I thought it was a real scandal. For heavens sake, what was it all about?"
As the candidate arrived with her husband, Sean Dunne, her sister, Helen, and a member of her project staff, Helen Faughnan, she was escorted into a conference room in Hearns Hotel where she received a large bouquet of flowers and described how difficult the last couple of days have been.
"There was a great sense of being bathed in this wonderful rainbow from all over the country," she said. "I would like to pay a particular note of gratitude to the people of Clonmel. My father has not been well nor has my mother and they have of course been perturbed by the events of recent days, but they have been inundated with letters and callers. Tonight is a great night for the project. Go raibh mile maith agaibh. It's great to be back home."
Later, Helen talked about how upset the family had been.
"How much longer can this go on? We were all bemoaning the paparazzi two weeks ago. We are so quick to forget. This has been a hounding. We are an ordinary family and a highly respected family in this town. We have no secrets, but my mother was phoned and was actually asked for my brother's phone number. Adi is strong but of course she has feelings too, but she is determined to go ahead."
As the meeting broke up, Ethel Reynolds, the head of the Presentation Secondary School, Ms Roche's old school, said she and her young students were very excited about her candidacy. "It is the old story that every US citizen can grow up to be the President. Well here, so can every girl."