Many a politician has lost his or her way in the past. But the boys and girls of the Fine Gael front bench had no excuse for getting lost yesterday as they ventured into the heart of west Dublin for a rare "shadow cabinet" meeting outside Leinster House.
Anxious that no one should stray, party handlers issued its senior politicians with a rather clumsy map directing them to the Neilstown Community Centre, where the front bench was to hold its weekly meeting before visiting a number of projects in the area.
This was the fourth Fine Gael front-bench gathering outside Dublin city in recent times and the first in a number to be held in the city suburbs, the party leader, Mr John Bruton, announced. There are plans to travel to Blanchardstown, Tallaght and Finglas in the next few months.
Hopefully, the next maps will be better, but despite the poor attempt at keeping them on the right road, all the Fine Gaelers landed in Neilstown in one piece and on time.
"The last occasion I was out here was 10 years ago to canvass in a by-election. I can't believe how much the area has come on since then," said the party's spokesman on agriculture, Mr Paul Connaughton, who insisted he was bringing his expertise in rural matters to one of the most built-up areas of Dublin.
Local people were bemused at the invasion. "I think it is a good idea. It is about time the politicians left their ivory towers to meet the people," said Mr Enda Barron, co-ordinator of the Clondalkin Drugs Task Force.
Mr Bruton got into the swing of things and sang a verse of Dirty Old Town when he visited the FAS-sponsored Ronanstown music course. The course supervisor, Mr John Burke, asked Mr Bruton to use his influence to ensure that funding for the course was maintained.
There was no fear that the front-bench boys and girls were going to starve on their visit. They were treated to scallop and mushroom pie, bacon and leek tart and haddock and spinach terrine with a selection of salads washed down with a 1996 Gran Feudo Crianga red courtesy of the North Clondalkin Probation Project.
Sister Carmel Earles, the director of the Carlines project, which was established in Clondalkin in 1993 to tackle the car theft problem, welcomed the visit and said it was positively received.
"We need more attention like this from politicians. And it was nice they chose the community centre for their meeting and their lunch rather than a high-falutin' hotel," she said.