'Hound of Ulster' top dog in wee county

WE HAVE all heard of champagne socialists but how about Prosecco Provos? The difference is they drink their bubbly from a plastic glass because you have to retain your street credibility.

Gerry Adams quickly got into celebration mode after his victory in Louth, toasting his supporters including wife Collette, son Gearóid, daughter Róisín, three grand-daughters and even, in a lighter vein, the family dog.

Those who like to see the Sinn Féin leader as a man of peace may find it hard to believe he used to keep Rottweilers until he found his other obligations meant he could not give them due care and attention.

Rottweilers need to be marched around on a regular basis, so the Sinn Féin leader switched to “Snowy”, a pedigree Bichon Frise (literally, “curly white lapdog”) who is a lot more low-maintenance.

No doubt the wee dote got an extra dog biscuit when a poll-weary Adams made it home after what must have been one of the most satisfactory days in his controversial career.

The North’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, was one of the first to visit the count centre to proffer his congratulations and the two republican soul brothers embraced warmly.

The pair were grinning so broadly outside the Dundalk Institute of Technology that you thought their faces would crack.

McGuinness and Ian Paisley used to be known as the Chuckle Brothers but Martin has found a new partner in mirth:  none other than his own party leader.

The Derry republican compared the new TD for Louth to the mythological hero Cúchulainn, also known as the Hound of Ulster and definitely not a Bichon Frise.

Throughout the day, Adams wore a blue shirt (striped version, to distinguish him from Enda’s party) and a silk tie with an equestrian motif from the Jockey Club in New York, presented to him by Irish-American businessman Bill Flynn, a prominent figure in the peace process.

In the lead-up to the vote, a Fine Gael survey indicated the Sinn Féin leader would be fighting for one of the last seats but in the event he came in ahead of anyone else.

There was a time the popular Sinn Féin slogan was “Tiocfaidh ár lá [Our day will come]” but this was replaced at the weekend by a repetitious soccer-style chant: “Top-the-poll, top-the-poll, top-the-poll.” Naturally there was a Tricolour waving in the background. But when Fine Gael’s Fergus O’Dowd was elected soon after, some smart cookie in his camp waved the green, white and orange flag as well.

Challenged by a quizzical Sinn Féiner, young Vincent O’Dowd, one of the TD’s three sons, responded: “We are all Irish.”