Another election, another requiem for the end of civil war politics. Before we throw the baby out with the bath water, let us celebrate what was gained as well as lost in this election.
There was no evidence of any appetite for the politics of the right.
In recent months, as the problems of immigration and fear of economic recession have become more insistent, voters all over Europe have swung dramatically in that direction.
In Britain, where Tony Blair's New Labour boasts of having created a new consensus which goes beyond the old class divisions, the virulently racist BNP has won seats on local councils.
In France, the initial success of Jean-Marie Le Pen sent shock waves across Europe, and forced many left-wing voters to opt, against their previous loyalties, for Jacques Chirac.
Even liberal The Netherlands, influenced admittedly by the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, swung decisively to the parties of the right.
In Ireland, due to the allegedly backward influence of civil war politics, such labels hardly matter. Is Fine Gael left or right? Watching the rout of those who lost their seats - Alan Shatter, Frances Fitzgerald and others - you would be hard put to know.
Similarly with the Progressive Democrats. Michael McDowell may present himself on occasion as to the right of Attila the Hun but it is hard to see Liz O'Donnell and Fiona O'Malley as cut from the same cloth.
It was thought that Ms O'Malley's outspoken opposition to the abortion referendum might cost her dearly in Dún Laoghaire. Instead, her decision to remember her father's finest speech, when he pledged himself to "stand by the Republic" on a similar issue, won her admiration and votes
But there were right-wing candidates in this election and it's worth considering why the electorate gave them such short shrift.
Aine Ni Chonaill, of the Immigration Control Platform, polled 926 votes in Dublin Central. Her colleague, Ted Neville, received received 371 votes in Cork South Central.
Dana Rosemary Scallon's political reputation is based largely on her socially conservative views, particularly on the still emotive issue of abortion. The voters of Galway West gave her 1,667 first preferences.
The (all male) group of candidates fielded by the Christian Solidarity Party polled in the low hundreds.
I've written plenty of columns complaining about the lack of any real-left right divide in Irish politics and the consequent deadening effect of virtual consensus on most social and economic issues. But, at this period of transition, it is perhaps time to acknowledge that civil war politics served this State well.
The fact that the political debate was rooted in whose grandfather shot who in the early years of the last century was a major factor in enabling us to escape the worst extremes of some of our more sophisticated neighbours.
At a time when Margaret Thatcher was intent on destroying the trade union movement in Britain and proudly proclaimed that "there is no such thing as society", the political leadership of this State opted for partnership between government, employers and unions.
At the same time, many community organisations - some of the most important attached to the Catholic Church - ensured that the principle of "greed is good" could not be elevated into a core principle by any political party, not even the allegedly Thatcherite Progressive Democrats.
On social issues, despite the lack of courage and conviction on the part of most politicians, progress has been made - crabwise, in our usual fashion. The recent abortion referendum is a fairly typical example of how we have gone about making social change in this era. The proposal to render the Constitution even more draconian in its attitudes to women was defeated by the voters.
No Irish Taoiseach is going to revisit that territory. We can predict what will happen next. There will be another challenge in the courts along the lines of the X case. Legislation will be introduced, probably by Fianna Fáil, which will allow Irish women with problem pregnancies to receive treatment in their own country. It will be approved by the Oireachtas.
That is how things have happened during the period of civil war politics and it is not yet quite over. But we are already in new and uncharted waters where the task of throwing a life belt to Fine Gael or the Labour Party seems almost irrelevant.
The success of the Greens, of Sinn Féin and of independents who campaigned on issues like better healthcare shows that there is an appetite in the electorate for a new kind of politics and a new type of politician. Talk about a realignment of the left already seems old fashioned.
For me one of the most cheering moments of the election came while watching Monday's Questions and Answers and, in particular the new young TDs: Peter Power of Fianna Fáil, Olwyn Enright of Fine Gael, Ciaran Cuffe of the Green Party, Sean Crowe of Sinn Féin.
Frank, enthusiastic, looking forward to the challenge of politics, they seemed far removed from the usual panel of tired politicians dutifully parroting the party line.
Let us hope that the Dáil doesn't knock them into shape.