Saturday began with a newsreader announcing that the No campaigner and MP for West Tyrone, Mr Willie Thompson, had said it was a sad day for Northern Ireland. That was the main straw in the wind before radio and television coverage began.
"What are the facts?" the Radio Ulster presenter kicked off by asking at midday. "There are no facts at the moment," came the reply from his roving reporter. The sadness of Mr Thompson's day was resting on the frail evidence of RTE's exit poll on Friday night. None of the northern media had done a poll.
Northern broadcasting didn't rise to the occasion with the same alacrity as RTE - even though it was basically the North's occasion. At 12.30 in the day, Wendy Austin was telling those of us who were listening to radio what she could see on RTE television.
In fact, the South had quite a presence all day. Robert McCartney quoted with approval Bruce Arnold's opinion that the government's Yes campaign in the North would have been illegal in the South. Ian Paisley Jr, in the course of explaining his view that "the Yes vote is a green Yes" brought The Irish Times in as an authority.
"Why do you think that?" Jeremy Paxman of BBC television asked John Bruton after Mr Bruton had expressed some opinion. "Because that's what I think," Mr Bruton replied. A few minutes later the link to Dublin failed and Mr Bruton was cut off in mid-answer. "Unfortunately," Jeremy Paxman said, "he has disappeared in a puff of smoke." No doubt he was being punished for irreverence to star interviewers.
But light relief in Belfast itself was rare as ever. Perhaps Robert McCartney was as near to a human character, as opposed to a political caricature, as there was on the day. He shouldn't have called the respectable shoppers of Holywood who crowded around Mr Blair on the prime minister's visit a rent-a-mob, someone on Radio Ulster said: he had been "caught in the act of being himself".
Seamus Mallon had a vigorous go at him on television. "You've made an ass of yourself," Mr Mallon jeered, "dripping around after Ian Paisley," and asked sarcastically whether it was likely that Tony Blair, the RUC, the Belfast Telegraph, the News Letter, Lady Napier and some of Bob McCartney's own constituents were likely all to have been in a conspiracy against him? "It was a rent-a-mob in principle if not in technical detail," Mr McCartney said, and he jeered back at Mr Mallon. The fact that Monica McWilliams was sitting between them trying to speak didn't inhibit their schoolyard fun for one moment.
But then, it wasn't much of a day for women. When "ordinary" people, such as the crowd at the rather quiet fiesta on Belfast's waterfront, were interviewed, the usual rule of speaking to about 10 men to every one woman was broken. They interviewed two male musicians - of identical views - from a small band, and they didn't interview any women.
If it weren't for Mo Mowlam, a neutral viewer would conclude that the Ulster political scene is barred to the female half of the human race. And confined to men in suits. The musicians were rare examples of males not wearing suits.
Long before the end of coverage it was clear what any given speaker was going to say, no matter when or to which interlocutor. Gerry Adams was going to be asked about decommissioning and was going to talk about being harassed by the RUC the day before. John Hume was going to talk about going forward together. Ian Paisley was going to say the gun was now enshrined in Ulster politics. Jeffrey Donaldson was going to say that he was, after all, a democrat. Lord Alderdice would be enthusiastic.
Willie Thompson MP was going to say that the No campaign had not been defeated. Not at all. "We didn't lose at all," he said amiably to the UTV interviewer who had begun his questioning with a matey, "Boy! did you misread the mood of the people, Mr Thompson!" Ah, 28 per cent had been enough, apparently, to make sad days for Ulster go away. Mr Thompson added - ominously - that the will of the people is often shown better in elections than in referendums. In only a month we shall all be passing this way again.