Mrs McAleese embarked on her second term as President yesterday, describing her inauguration as the start of an "onward journey", writes Frank McNally at Dublin Castle.
This was also the title of a musical tribute from piper Liam O'Flynn. But the theme was almost fatally undermined when the vintage Rolls-Royce used to carry Mrs McAleese to and from Dublin Castle initially refused to make the return trip.
As the President exited St Patrick's Hall, the 1948 Silver Wraith failed to respond to the urgings of veteran driver, Garda Mick O'Hora. Parked to one side of the Castle Yard and unnoticed by all but a few concerned gardaí and journalists, the car continued to veto any further part in the proceedings for several minutes, while Mrs McAleese greeted well-wishers.
Garda O'Hora kept his cool, however, and the Rolls finally purred back into life in time to bring the President on the first leg of her onward journey - back to Áras an Uachtaráin.
It was the only hitch in an otherwise flawless ceremony. Mrs McAleese also began her second term with a backward nod to the theme of the first. Urging those who still hesitated to take the last step across "the bridge of peace on this island", she pledged to do her best "to make us comfortable in each other's company" on the opposite side. The DUP were not there to hear the promise, but the Official Unionists were represented among the 700 guests.
The eight church leaders to officiate at the ceremony included, for the first time, a representative of the Islamic community. Sheikh Hussein Halawa offered a prayer that the world would return "to the path of sanity" and said to Mrs McAleese: "We ask Allah to assist you in your efforts for the betterment of the Irish nation and the service of world peace."
Guests at the inauguration also included 700 children, representing schools in every Irish county, who watched the ceremony on a giant screen in the Castle Yard. Fears that politics has alienated the nation's youth were assuaged when the relatively mute reception for Westlife's Nicky Byrne gave way to wild cheers for the arrival of the Taoiseach. The Bertie-mania was matched only by the reception for the President herself.
Mrs McAleese did not have to contest an election for her second term. But the winner of the competition to dress her for the inauguration - Dubliner Aideen Bodkin - secured a popular mandate in the Castle yard. The vintage look, complete with 1950s-style jacket, took off more readily than the car of the same era.
"I'm mad about fashion and I thought it was very nice - everything matched," said Andrea Hayde (13) from Cashel Community School. Her friend Ashley Ryan (12) agreed, but thought the President even nicer than her clothes: "She's sound out!"
President McAleese last night hosted a State reception for 2,000 guests at Dublin Castle, which was followed by a fireworks display.