Pat Rabbitte is clever, troubled, contradictory . . . in other words, the type of bride that is guaranteed to break a good man's heart. Whilst Enda glowed beside him during the dinner on Wednesday night, Pat looked a bit self-conscious about all the fuss. Pat is not a wedding person. Enda most definitely is a wedding person. At the back of the church, we crones predicted tough times ahead.

The next morning, Frank Flannery, who is known as Fine Gael's leading election strategist, predicted between 50 and 60 seats. Fine Gael currently has 32 TDs in the Dail.

As we approached the hotel on Wednesday afternoon, these Fine Gael TDs were gathered on the steps of the hotel, grouped for the wedding photo, and in high good humour, Enda Kenny shot out the hotel door to join them . . . he moves very quickly . . . and then we all went to stand by a roofless gazebo and talk about Mayo beating Kerry in today's All Ireland football final.

Enda Kenny said that the country was not prepared to face into 15 years of Fianna Fail government. He said this several times, and he was right to say it, because the thought of 15 years of Fianna Fail government certainly does send a chill through the blood.

But watching Olwyn Enright and Olivia Mitchell being kissed by their male colleagues . . .

I suppose this is what you have to put up with when you are a female politician . . . one could not help wondering if this gathering of decent, hardworking people had what it takes to win the election. I mean, are they killers? Are they psychopaths who will win at all costs? Are they scumbags who will fight it street by street? Or have I just been voting for too long?

Fianna Fail are a cinematic production directed by Quentin Tarantino . . . or so they fondly like to think. Fine Gael are a cinematic production directed by Ron Howard. They are family entertainment. They must comfort themselves with the thought that family entertainment, although much derided and not at all sexy, is big box office.

Sometimes.

In the sweltering Sligo County Hall on Wednesday night, the Fine Gael family was out in force.

There were a tricky couple of minutes when the driver of our coach tried to execute a difficult right-hand turn to bring us to our destination.

Local Fine Gael TD John Perry buzzed about, seeming to be everywhere at once.

One of the Fine Gael candidates for a second seat in this three-seat constituency is a young mother, Councillor Imelda Henry. Enda Kenny appeared at his best here. His energy and his good manners and his confidence wafted up and down the stairs and through the gleaming, modern council chamber. He has saved the Fine Gael organisation and the Fine Gael organisation knows it. I met a woman who had called her youngest child after Enda. The 30-year old was born at the time that Enda Kenny entered the Dail, succeeding his father in the seat. Enda signed the distinguished visitors' book. The mayor, Jim McGarry, used to be a member of Fine Gael, but he shifted to Labour when he failed to gain a nomination. Enda said that he had the highest respect for Jim McGarry. By the time we got back to the hotel, Pat Rabbitte had arrived.

For those of us who had never attended a parliamentary party conference before, the two days in Sligo were interesting. The hotel was very nice . . . I am sure that you are delighted to hear that . . . and the Fine Gael press officers were terrific.

The thing is that you're not actually allowed in to any of the meetings unless you are in Fine Gael.

This leaves outsiders hanging around the lobby, only able to chat knowledgeably to party members when they are on their breaks. Even those of us who are unable to chat knowledgeably found this a very pleasant way to pass a couple of days.

The TDs were addressed by a variety of speakers, including Paul Williams, crime journalist, Jim Power, who is chief economist with Friends First, and Padraig McManus, who is head of the ESB.

In fact, the concentration on renewable energy was one of the most impressive things about the meeting. Many of the TDs travelled to the meeting on one of the five trains per day which now serve Sligo from Dublin. One would have thought that, what with its reliance on solid-fuel power stations, having a member of the ESB addressing a meeting about renewable energy was a bit like having Osama bin Laden talking about religious tolerance, but then I'm new to all this.

The atmosphere at the meeting was uncomplicated and confident. In fact, it was downright relaxing. Only a slap on the back of one of the younger members of the party and a whispered "well done in there" suggested that there had been any debate at all going on behind the closed doors. Perhaps this was a sign of a very well-managed conference, where controversies were successfully hidden. Perhaps I just missed them.

Perhaps Fine Gael has had so long to prepare for this election that all its difficulties have been smoothed away. This week, Enda is due to meet the Labour party at its party meeting in Cork . . . a much more troubled and fractious family, a demanding and querulous set of in-laws.

On the beach at nearby Strandhill, you can see the body of a dead sperm whale. She died silently; no one is really sure why. From a distance, she looks like a large rock. It is only when you get a little closer, by walking round the beach to get to the nearest point to the whale, that you can see her huge tail swaying back and forth in the tide.

Fine Gael is full of decent people who are the backbone of this country and, you know, sometimes you can't help worrying.