MAYO TD Beverley Flynn rejoined the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party at a meeting of the organisation yesterday evening - on the eve of Brian Cowen's election as leader of the party.
The issue of Ms Flynn's future was decided in minutes at the parliamentary party meeting.
She was proposed for membership by Government Chief Whip Tom Kitt. The proposal was seconded by the chairman of the parliamentary party, Louth TD Seamus Kirk, and accepted unanimously.
She was then allowed to join the meeting from which she was expelled in 2004.
The meeting, however, was dominated by several hours of often emotional tributes from TDs, Senators and MEPs to outgoing Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who received a standing ovation from colleagues.
Every Fianna Fáil Cabinet minister spoke, while Minister for Social Affairs Martin Cullen delivered, in the words of one colleague, "an incredible speech, where he said that he had been motivated by Bertie's passion and decency".
Significant numbers pointed to the unity of the parliamentary party, and insisted that this would be one of "his lasting legacies to Fianna Fáil" of Mr Ahern's 14 years of leadership.
Senator Donie Cassidy, the leader of the Seanad, told the meeting that he had joined a divided parliamentary party 26 years ago which is now united; Dáil terms run five years rather than collapsing every 18 months because of Mr Ahern's skills.
Ms Flynn's return to the party ranks on the eve of Mr Cowen's election is no surprise. The expulsion motion in 2004 was listed in his name and, thus, her return before his election saves him some difficulties.
Last Friday, the Fianna Fáil national executive accepted her application to rejoin the party, following a proposal from Mr Ahern, in one of his last acts as party leader.
Last week, however, Ms Flynn continued to insist she had done nothing wrong as a National Irish Banks executive and had not encouraged clients to evade tax, notwithstanding the Supreme Court finding against her in the libel case.
"I regret of course that the outcome was not different and a lot of what has happened over the past couple of years, I regret very much a lot of what has happened," she said yesterday.
"I have tried very hard in the past couple of years to put all that behind me. I am very keen at this stage to focus on the future," added Ms Flynn, who will be confident of promotion in the party in the future.
Yesterday she refused opportunities for media interviews.
