It had been a glorious day, the sun shining down on what seemed to be a reinvigorated Ms Mary Banotti. Following a lacklustre performance on Questions and Answers on Monday on RTE, the presidential candidate appeared to exude renewed energy and purpose.
She practically jogged through the narrow streets of Ennis, Co Clare, yesterday morning, her eight-year-old god-daughter, Molly, by her side and a crowd of about 100 supporters surrounding her.
She chatted, shook countless hands, even accepted kisses from well-wishers. Around her the campaign team moved quickly and efficiently, spurred on by reports that her popularity was rising, according to the latest opinion polls.
It was an impressive, confident performance. By mid-afternoon, the team had its sights set on Clonmel, birthplace of presidential rival, Adi Roche.
Shortly after 4.30 p.m., following a brief halt at the Swiss Cottage in Cahir, the three-car convoy was on its way to Clonmel. By 5 p.m., the day of canvassing that had begun so promisingly came to a sudden and tragic end amid the wreckage of two vehicles and the death of a elderly woman.
I was minutes behind them, delayed only by Ms Banotti's entreaties that I really had to see the Swiss Cottage. I was still racing to catch up when I came upon the scene.
A blue Ford Fiesta driven by Mr Patsy Fenton, an elderly man from Cahir, had apparently drifted from its lane on its way into Cahir and had collided with the second car in the Banotti convoy. The dark Rover 62Oi carried Ms Banotti, Mrs Teresa Ahern, the local Fine Gael TD, and Ms Anne Hennon, a campaign worker. It was driven by Mr Sean Lynch.
Mr Lynch saw the vehicle approaching in his lane and swerved to avoid it, but the Fiesta tore off the Rover's wing mirror.
The Fiesta then ploughed headfirst into the third car in the convoy, a white Mitsubishi Space Wagon carrying campaign worker, Ms Laura Fryday, and driven by Mr Mick Byrnes.
"We were driving along chatting when we heard the sound as if something was shearing along the side of the car," said Ms Banotti.
"Then there was a bang behind us and we saw what we thought was smoke rising from the bonnet of the car. Our biggest fear was that the vehicle was on fire and we wouldn't be able to get them out in time."
Steam was still rising from the bonnet of the Mitsubishi when I arrived. The windscreen of the Fiesta had been removed, or had come off, and lay between the cars.
By that time, Ms Fryday had climbed from the ruined Mitsubishi and was lying by the side of the road.
"She was so brave," said Ms Hennon. "She wanted us to look after the other people first."
Beside Ms Fryday knelt Ms Banotti, who is a nurse and had been comforting her.
As I approached, Ms Ahern took Ms Banotti's place and the candidate, shocked but calm, walked over to me.
"It's a terrible thing to have happened. A terrible way to end a day like this," she said.
Mr Fenton sat, apparently shocked and disoriented, in the driver's seat of his car, his wife slumped beside him. Unknown to Mr Fenton, she was already dead.
The Banotti team had tried, unsuccessfully, to remove them from the car. Mr Lynch stood by Ms Fryday, shocked and visibly upset, his mouth swollen and bruised.
The campaign team members from the first car in the convoy raced back to join their colleagues. Already, ambulances were arriving and gardai had closed the road.
Father Billy Meehan, the parish priest of Ballylooby, Cahir, anointed Mr Fenton, his wife and Ms Fryday. As Mr Fenton was removed from the car by ambulance workers, a red blanket was placed gently over his wife.
Then the first of the ambulances sped off, taking Ms Fryday and Mr Lynch to St Patrick's hospital, Cashel. Ms Banotti accompanied them.
"It's just a tragic end for what we had planned to be a very exciting day for Mary Banotti in South Tipperary," said Ms Ahern, as she prepared to follow the rest of the team to the hospital.
By that time, the sun was already setting on a day that had begun with a sense of energy and potential and had ended in sorrow and a tragic loss of life.