Jobless thousands say farewell as Martin says sorry

The queues at the RDS were so long that at 2.25pm, the gates were closed to prevent any further admissions.

Fianna Fáil had hoped for a strong turnout at its first ard fheis since 2009 to show the party was capable of recovery following last year’s election hammering.

The queues on Saturday were not for the ard fheis but for the nearby Working Abroad Expo. The ard fheis took place in the Shelbourne Hall at one end of the RDS, the expo in the Simmonscourt Pavilion at the other end. The jarring coincidence was not lost on the thousands who queued throughout the day.