Bertie takes a lot of comfort and cheers from being amongst his own

After a bruising week in Leinster House, the Taoiseach was blessed among women on Saturday. He was with his own at the annual Fianna Fail national women's conference and displayed a level of confidence and ease noticeably absent during recent Dail battles on the Ray Burke controversy.

He was given standing ovations and presented with an engraved mirror in recognition of his contribution to the Belfast Agreement, which helped to secure him record opinion poll ratings before the ghosts of the past came back to spoil it all.

Although the focus was mainly on the role of women in securing the agreement, and the practical business of winning seats in next year's local elections, the party's recent difficulties hung in the air and were privately discussed over cups of tea and coffee.

Recognising they could not be ignored during the day-long conference, the Taoiseach raised them himself, talking about a permanent ethics commission to investigate allegations of political wrongdoing and declaring that Fianna Fail would not allow people judge the present state of the party on the basis of what happened in the past.

Earlier, he spoke in glowing terms about the Government's record in implementing its election commitments to reduce crime levels, cut taxes and create jobs. "We have cut crime substantially, and we have cut taxes so much that the experts say we should stop it."

He was glad to say last Friday's job figures had shown the lowest unemployment rate since the beginning of the decade. To loud applause from the delegates, he said, in a reference to the coverage of the item in The Irish Times on Saturday: "If you get time during the day, you will find it on page 19 of one of the national newspapers." He failed to add that a summary of the figures was also carried in a prominent position on the top left-hand corner of page one. But Mr Ahern could do no wrong in the eyes of the delegates, many of whom posed for photographs with him. There was applause when he noted that he will be 21 years in the Dail in a matter of days, adding not very convincingly: "I have enjoyed every day of it, including this week."

The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, whose parliamentary private secretary, Ms Helen Jackson, was among the speakers, came in for much favourable comment for her role in securing the Belfast Agreement. Among those who heaped praise on her was the Taoiseach's special adviser, Dr Martin Mansergh, who also described the PD Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and deputy leader of the Irish delegation, Ms Liz O'Donnell, as "a minister of character", adding: "She put anyone who attempted to bully her back in their place, did valuable liaison work with all the parties, as well as providing a second judgment, and won respect from all sides."