Mr Sean Crudden, from Dundalk, declared himself a pessimist by nature and, as far as he was concerned, things were "not really hot at the moment" for the Progressive Democrats, but he hoped they would recover.
Like many of the delegates, he raised the O'Flaherty controversy as the main reason why the party was damaged and expressed annoyance that it had been allowed to happen. "They should have said that the PDs were distancing themselves, but they didn't do that solidly," he said.
Asked about Ms Harney as leader, Mr Crudden, a member of the party since 1987, responded: "Well, she's OK, but it's a tough job. A person shouldn't stay in that job for that long, that's anybody, not just her."
As far as the Attorney General went, he "wasn't a great lover of Michael McDowell". He was unimpressed with the proposal to change the name of the PDs to the "Radical Party".
Ms Elizabeth Murphy, from Bishopstown in Cork, wasn't too optimistic either. "I think they are on a very thin edge now really. It's been happening over the years. This is going to be a bit aggravating for people to hear. I have always felt the party haven't done enough to educate the grassroots. It was always a touch amateurish but maybe that's a bit unfair. I think you should know who is behind a front door before you went to it to canvass. "
She would love to see the "absolutely brilliant" Mr McDowell return to the party but it was a pity that he was a "bit of a loner and a one-man band". Mr Leonard Hatrick, a member of Ardee Town Commissioners, hoped the weekend "unifies us a wee bit to help us get back on top".
Ms Maureen Harewood, from Galway, saw the party as being beleaguered at the moment but was heartened by the atmosphere at the conference.
Mr Kevin Ryan, chairman of the PDs' student branch in University College Dublin, thought the mood was one of renewal and there was enough time to recover from recent damage before a general election.