Tables turned on Bertie at capital culture countdown
And true to form, it proved to be a group of Corkonians rather than a visiting US president or other European heads of state that threatened to undermine Bertie's sure-footed leadership over the past six months.
The incident that almost brought the Fianna Fáil leader to his knees occurred during one of his final functions as President of the EU when he helped to launch the countdown to Cork becoming the European Capital of Culture in 2005.