In place of the cheerful charm of the former minister, Michael Martin, INTO delegates were treated to a diffident, occasionally naive, narrative by Dr Woods, Minister for Education and Science.
His announcement of a new curriculum help-line for teachers was greeted by laughter from the delegates. Senator Joe O'Toole suggested that if teachers' workload was not reduced it was the Samaritans his members would be ringing.
Dr Woods's statement that delegates might recognise that the money was "long and well allocated" before he came into office was greeted by "aahs" of mock sympathy with his plight.
However, further announcements went some way towards pleasing the teachers.
His parting bon mot about Senator O'Toole's smart new suit was batted right back at him by the senator.
"It was only when I was putting it on this morning I realised that the pockets were sewn up. It struck me that politics might be a better place if all pockets were sewn up. With politics being so unstable at the moment, I hope you also noted that I am wearing a blue shirt, just in case."
Senator O'Toole then went on to thank the Minister for his kind remarks about teachers but said if he had to make a choice between paying tribute to teachers and paying the teachers then the INTO would have to go with the second option. Game, set and match to Joe O'Toole.
But the darling of the teachers was Martin McGuinness, who was welcomed to Congress by Dr Woods as "the minister for education in suspension".
Mr McGuinness alluded to the difficulties in coming up with the correct title, saying former minister or suspended minister had both been tried. "I haven't had as many red cards as Roy Keane or Meath teacher Ollie Murphy," he said.
His belief that the Good Friday agreement could still be saved was greeted with enthusiasm, and he sat down to the most sustained applause of the morning.