THE "WAKING" of a political party is, inevitably, a sad occasion. And so it was when the last elected officers of the Progressive Democrats gathered in Mullingar on Saturday to put out the party lights. The situation became particularly fraught when some long-standing activists challenged a decision by Oireachtas members that the organisation was no longer viable and should be wound up.
In the end, however, sound judgment and political realism prevailed and the process of ending 23 years of intense activity was put in place.
Those opposed to winding up the party were, in the main, younger members and some local councillors who had anticipated fighting next year's local elections under an established brand name with distinctive policies. Now, they face the prospect of contesting the elections as independent candidates, a much more difficult challenge. They felt abandoned by senior colleagues; their interests neglected.
They had some cause for complaint but, even if they had carried the day, the party was unlikely to have survived much beyond then.
The five stages of grief that people go through when responding to personal tragedy or traumatic loss - as identified by Kubler-Ross - were fully ventilated during the course of an afternoon debate. Disappointed councillors and some original members, whose lives had been shaped by and for the organisation during its frequently contentious existence, expressed first denial and then anger that the situation had been allowed to come to this.
Others engaged in a bargaining process, seeking to extend the lifetime of the party by drawing attention to public funding that would allow it to keep going at a reduced level until the next general election.
Then delegates moved towards the ultimate stages: depression and final acceptance. The balance of forces shifted decisively when Mary Harney counselled realism and received a standing ovation. Party founder Des O'Malley did not attend. But a message counselling disbandment was read out on his behalf.
It was echoed by the words of the current leader Ciaran Cannon. Defeat of an amendment that would allow the organisation to limp on brought final acceptance.
And so a chapter closed on more than two decades of activity that shaped the direction of Irish politics and injected intellectual and ideological rigour into public debate. It is widely recognised that the Progressive Democrats made an important contribution.
They shattered many core values, as Mr O'Malley said. The greatest was the Fianna Fáil acceptance of coaliton government.
It is difficult to comprehend now the circumstances in which the PDs were formed almost 23 years ago. The state of the economy and crippling taxation, the climate of fear and the smell of corruption, all necessitated the vision of a new outward-looking Ireland with liberal values. The PDs answered that need and offered a whole new set of political choices for the public.
Whether Mary Harney remains as Minister for Health is a moot point. The PDs broke many moulds. They left an indelible mark on the history of this State.