Just over 1.2 million people tuned into last night's televised debate between the leaders of the two main political parties.
Although the RTÉ encounter is unlikely to change the minds of many viewers, the figures, released by Nielsen Media research this morning, suggest there is interest in the campaign 48 hours before polling begins on Friday.
The figures show 835,000 people watched the debate while 1.28 million tuned in at some point.
The general consensus amongst media commentators is that Mr Noonan scored a slight victory, although according to The Irish Timeshe failed to deliver a killer punch, an assessment not shared by the Starnewspaper whose headline runs "Noonan Bashes Bertie".
Today's Irish Independent claims Mr Noonan put in the performance of his career, but Mr Ahern managed to "escape" the debate without losing too much ground.
The debate focused on issues of crime, health, the economy and ethics.