Blood was thicker than water when Bertie placed his brother Noel among the line-up of Ministers of State, writes Denis Coghlan, Chief Political Correspondent
Nobody was saying that Noel Ahern didn't deserve promotion. He had been a solid constituency performer in Dublin North West and had ploughed his own furrow in the Dáil, even when it ran counter to the interests of his younger brother.
Soul-mates they were not. The Taoiseach had passed him over for preferment in 1997 and again in 2000.
Regard for the older sibling was reflected by the portfolio awarded. Bobby Molloy's former job of housing and urban renewal - a key pressure point for this Government was handed over.
And Owen Ryan's old pitch of drugs strategy and community affairs followed suit. For an inner city minister, with problems growing on both fronts, the portfolios could represent poison pills or a passport to higher office. It would be a case of poo or get off the pot.
Two other new faces were set to grace the Fianna Fáil ministerial benches. Brian Lenihan, the man the Taoiseach was said not to like, was finally given a leg up and responsibility for children across a range of departments.
He was joined by Ivor Callely, chairman of the Dail Committee on Enterprise and Small Business. Promotion of the TD from Dublin North Central is likely to be viewed by the Haughey family as the continuation of a vendetta against their Sean, who has been relegated to second slot in the constituency.
The general election saw young Deirdre Heaney, a Dublin councillor and Dáil secretary to Noel Ahern, being drafted into the constituency to win a third seat for Fianna Fáil with the approval of the Taoiseach.
The followers of Sean Haughey saw it as a thinly-disguised shafting of their man with the tacit support of Mr Callely.
In the event, Sean Haughey prevailed and Ms Heaney narrowly missed that third seat. The chickens are still fluttering homewards?
Three new faces; the reappointment of four junior ministers from earlier days and consolation prizes for three demoted senior ministers made up the Fianna Fáil list. And it went down like a lead balloon. When the Taoiseach rose to his feet, many seats were vacant in anger or in protest.
As part of the master plan to win a Fianna Fáil majority in the general election and dispense with the support of Independents, Pat "the Cope" Gallagher had been called home from the European Parliament to "take out" Independent Tom Gildea in Donegal South West.
Mr Gildea had dropped out, rather than face electoral humiliation, and Mr Gallagher had skated home.
The promise of a junior ministerial position for Mr Gallagher has been in the air for weeks. But that award would require his resignation from the European Parliament.
His nominated replacements for that position were Noel Treacy, a sitting Minister of State; Galway county councillor Sean O Neachtain and, after that, former minister Sean Doherty.
The short-corner merchants in Fianna Fáil thought Noel Treacy might be slotted into the European job, leaving a Government job for them.
But the Taoiseach didn't fancy an early by-election. And Mr Treacy wanted to stay put. A typical Ahern compromise saw both Mr Gallagher and Mr Treacy get the nod. And Sean O Neachtain's number came up. There was no question of Sean Doherty getting the kiss of life.
The Taoiseach did a bit of kissing and making up where Willie O Dea was concerned.
The Limerick man might have been "gutted" and distraught, having been passed over for the big job 10 days ago, when Michael Smith and Joe Walsh held on to their seats.
But half a ministerial car was better than no Merc, even if it carried with it the job that sank Mary Wallace - disability and equality issues.
So the frustrated Willie goes in to bat against his PD neighbour, Tim O'Malley, who is a wet day in the Dail and has equal ministerial status.
Elsewhere, Jim McDaid, Síle de Valera and Frank Fahey were given fresh opportunities to prove themselves at a junior level. And few begrudged them the chance.
But eyes rolled when the name of Liam Aylward was mentioned.
And the reaction was only slightly less intense in relation to Michael Ahern and John Browne.
Eoin Ryan and Mary Wallace must wonder what they have to do to please the Taoiseach.
And Tom Kitt will probably give thanks that he wasn't shown the door in the company of Dan Wallace, Noel Davern and Joe Jacob.
Some people celebrated last night, but others held their resentments close and said nothing.