First things first. The Irish flag is not a rag to be wrapped around the shoulders of individuals of the far right (mainly) or indeed protestors of whatever colour or clique who wish to challenge the current order, not to mention the law of the land.

In just two Dáil terms the political order in Mayo has been transformed. We wrote last week about how it was historic that Mayo elected two women to the Dáil for the first time ever.

Lorraine Burnell is a powerhouse – a literal pocket rocket. The Belmullet native aspired to be a Garda in her early youth but the height restriction prevented her from following that path.

With a seat added and Michael Ring retiring, everyone knew there would be at least one new face heading to Leinster House to represent Mayo in the 34th Dáil.

Our Ox Mountain hills are small compared to the Swiss Alps but believe it or not, there is a connection.

In the pause after the election campaign concluded and the last seat was filled, politicians and public drew a collective breath. Assessments included 'Not very memorable' and 'Much ado about very little'.

A word this week for readers who live away from home. You could be in New York or Nottingham, New Zealand or Nice, or indeed in any part of the world. There is one of us everywhere these days.

When I was young, we always referred to the stoat as a weasel. Of course, there are no weasels in the Ox Mountain region, nor are there any in the whole of Ireland.

In an age where we worship at the altar of precocious youth, where Mark Zuckerberg's catastrophically myopic declaration in 2007 that "young people are just smarter" passes for wisdom, there's something deliciously subversive about the late bloomer.

I take my election duties seriously.