Putting on the style in their own particular way

DRESS CODE:PEOPLE BEFORE Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett was asked to remove his donkey jacket, while Independent deputy Michael Healy-Rae voluntarily doffed his cap in the Dáil chamber yesterday.

Mr Boyd Barrett, dressed in black jeans and brown casual shoes, revealed a grey military-style shirt after the notoriously strict Leinster House authorities deemed his coat was unsuitable for the chamber.

“They said no overcoats inside but there was no requirement for suits and ties or anything like that,” he said. Mr Healy-Rae who, like his father Jackie, usually sports a cap, was without his dynastic headgear.

Independent TD Mick Wallace was bemused by the interest in his outfit as he crossed the plinth. He wore a smarter-than-usual version of his trademark pink shirt, teamed with a dangling turquoise earring and stubble. “I’m after putting on a real fancy shirt for the day. I thought I’d been compromised big-time,” he said.

Easter lilies bloomed on the lapels of the Sinn Féin deputies, with party president Gerry Adams sporting the largest. There were a few mild examples of political cross-dressing, with some Labour deputies, such as Alex White, sporting blue ties and Fine Gael TDs opting for red ties.

Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor mounted the plinth – on foot this time, rather than in her sports car – in skyscraper heels which matched her champagne and cobalt striped coat on her way into Leinster House.