Social scientists delving deep inside the Budget's supplementary documentation can find ample evidence of the strength of the Republic's representative democracy - for the contents are peppered with signs of intense lobbying by local TDs and interest groups.
An environmental research centre in north Mayo, an indoor hurling stadium in Cork, a better class of mooring location for barges at Ballinasloe, Co Galway, a more pleasant opera festival for Dublin; these all got the nod.
The Department of Finance included funding for ecumenics, anti-litter awareness, water safety and "commemoration initiatives"; it seems no project is automatically too small to be bounced back to local authorities.
These are, of course, worthy initiatives, as indeed is the £100,000 provided for "a pilot fund to encourage and allow the retraining and re-education of older persons in information technology".
And £125,000 to enable the National Steering Committee on Violence against Women "to establish a unified telephone help-line" and other services.
Add to the list £300,000 for "a communications programme with the aim of empowering Travellers", £40,000 in extra housing grants for island dwellers, and £300,000 to refurbish the family home of Patrick and Willie Pearse, and a £1 million project to help young homeless people on Dublin's South Circular Road, and £1 million to help local authorities provide a better library service in disadvantaged areas.
Other beneficiaries include Darndale's new community centre (Dublin, £700,000), Ballinasloe's new canal moorings (Co Galway, £500,000), the Ballinderig Research Centre (Co Mayo, £500,000), Ireland's first full-size indoor hurling arena (Cork, £500,000), the Anna Livia International Opera Festival (£300,000) "commemoration initiatives including the JFK Trust" (£200,000), the antilitter initiative (£100,000), the new water safety council (£200,000), the scheme to "encourage commercial salmon fishermen in specific rivers to reduce the netting of salmon" (£200,000), the project to "encourage owners of sea-angling vessels to improve safety equipment" (£200,000), the Irish School of Ecumenics (£300,000) and the Mater Dei teacher training institute (£400,000).