THE auditorium lights dimmed in the concert hall at the RDS and out of the darkness one Fianna Fail member whispered: "It is at times like this we make the rest of them really sick."
Exactly 70 years to the day after the party was founded by de Valera in La Scala Theatre in Dublin, Fianna Fail last night celebrated itself in a stunning amalgam of past and present.
They had it all - the heroes, the passion, the mythology, the legend, sad slow airs by a lone piper and ... mobile phones.
Thunderous applause greeted two former Taoisigh, Charles Haughey and Albert Reynolds, and party leader Bertie Ahern when they strode, hands waving to the 300 strong crowd, into the hall.
The deputy Leader, Mary O'Rourke, told her hushed audience that 70 years ago the founding men and women of Fianna Fail - "those practical patriots" - had turned their swords into ploughshares.
Then the audio visual display was unveiled. A montage of the Civil War was projected on a centre screen. On the two flanking screens a succession of black and white photographs showed the major figures of the period as the narrator, Brian Munn, began:
"Out of the stormy tragic days of the Civil War, Eamon de Valera emerged with his principles and political vision intact, a vision that was soon to be embodied in a new political party, the warriors of the Fal - Fianna Fail."
A spotlight picked out the actor Arthur Riordan, playing de Valera. He read from the Proclamation. And so it went on, through de Valera's time on to Sean Lemass, Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds and ultimately Bertie Ahern.
A montage showing personalities and highlights of the last 70 years ended with a shot of Bertie, who began his speech about today, the real Ireland, with crime, the economy, peace and prisoners dominating his address.
Describing the resumption of IRA violence on February 9th as a profound mistake - "even though it was provoked by gross mishandling of the peace process by the British government and by at times an inadequate response from a well meaning Irish Government" - Mr Ahern insisted that political battles from now on must be fought politically.
Then the soldiers of destiny trooped from the auditorium for a little wine and music.