‘Newbies’ gather at Leinster House as outgoing ministers pack up their belongings

It was a buoyant day for TDs at Leinster House but a wistful one for others, as the newly-elected gathered for their first giddy day at school, while some pensively packed up their bags after decades of service.

The ‘newbies’ dressed in their best attire for meetings in Dublin, while some of the country’s political beasts mournfully stretched out their last hours on the parliament grounds.

It was a forlorn affair for Fine Gael, whose TDs were ensconced in a parliamentary meeting for hours about what went wrong and what the future holds for the party.