Dáil Sketch/Marie O'Halloran: It is rare enough that the tricolour is the cause of humour. But its disappearance from the roof of Leinster House sparked a collective fit of the giggles among TDs yesterday.
Michael Ring was first on the case of the missing Tricolour and his main suspect in its disappearance - Sinn Féin. The eagle-eyed Fine Gael TD complained that: "When I walk in here every morning when the House is sitting, I look up to see the tricolour flying over Leinster House. As I was coming in this morning, however, I noticed that the flag was missing."
Turning to the Tánaiste, he asked if she knew anything about it. "Does Deputy Ó Caoláin know anything about it?" he further queried, turning to the Cavan-Monaghan TD sitting behind him. His question was greeted with much hilarity and a smile from Deputy Ó Caoláin.
The Ceann Comhairle, Dr Rory O'Hanlon, had, however, already solved the mystery. "I understand that there was a difficulty with the rope used to suspend the flag. It is being attended to as a matter of urgency," he said.
When the Fine Gael TD queried: "I take it that there will not be any hangings?" Labour leader Pat Rabbitte asked "do you have any evidence".
The Sinn Féin TD quipped: "It was not a matter of taking down the mast" and the Tánaiste suggested that "perhaps Deputy Ó Caoláin or Deputy Ó Snodaigh had the rope".
Thereafter, it was as if laughing gas had infiltrated the Dáil as virtually every issue was treated with some jocularity.
When the Labour leader asked when the "yellow-pack medical cards partial alleviation of acute distress Bill" would be introduced, Ms Harney said they were the "doctor-only" medical cards and remarked that "for somebody who was so critical, the deputy seems very anxious about them".
The Bill goes to Cabinet in two weeks. Why does it take so long, asked Labour's Emmet Stagg. "For a tiny Bill," added his party colleague, Liz McManus. "For a tiny medical card," continued Deputy Stagg. "For a comfort card," suggested Michael D. Higgins.
Labour TD Joan Burton attempted to raise the roof on the National Aquatic Centre roof, which was blown off during a storm. The Ceann Comhairle said it had already been raised by Deputy Burton. She appealed to the Tánaiste: "Can you help us on this?"
"You're beyond help, Joan," said the Minister for Justice.
"We didn't take the roof off it," said the Tánaiste.
"We want to take the lid off it to see what is going on," said Labour's Ruairí Quinn.
"It's an outdoor pool now," concluded Deputy Stagg.
And so it continued.