TDs are heading off on holidays for a fortnight after failing to elect a Taoiseach.
The Dáil reconvened for the first time since the election when the 160 TDs of the 33rd Dáil marched through the famous black gates of Leinster House shortly before noon.
But it was a shambolic day in the end as the only real business that was conducted was the election of Fianna Fáil’s Seán Ó Fearghaíl as Ceann Comhairle, Dáil chairman.
He won by a landslide with 130 of the 160 votes.
There were four nominations and four votes for Taoiseach, with Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, winning the most votes.
But with her tally of 45, she was still miles away from the majority needed of 80.
The other losing candidates proposed for Taoiseach were Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan, and Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
Mr Varadkar headed immediately for Áras an Úachtaráin to hand in his resignation as Taoiseach to President Michael D Higgins after voting finished - he carries on now as caretaker Taoiseach.
He then jetted off to Brussels to attend an emergency EU Summit of leaders.
This is expected to go on all weekend late into the night every night as a deal on the EU’s €1trillion seven year budget has to be hammered out.
Meanwhile, back in the Dáil, the parties here will now go into a talks lockdown until the next Dáil sitting day scheduled for March 5.
Even though Ms McDonald got the most votes this time around in the Taoiseach vote last night, it is unlikely that she will be elected Taoiseach of the 33rd Dáil.
This is because the election was effectively a three way tie, with Fine Gael winning 35 seats, Sinn Féin 37 seats and Fianna Fáil 38 seats.
But with Fine Gael completely ruling out teaming up with Sinn Féin, and Fianna Fáil all but ruling it out, the numbers are not really there for Sinn Féin’s preferred grand left coalition.
Labour, with their six seats, declared last week that they would be going into opposition and not supporting any Taoiseach, which made it harder for Sinn Féin to cobble together the numbers.
And it was made even more difficult last night after the Social Democrats, six seats too, abstained from all Taoiseach nomination votes.
The most likely combination that will see us get a stable government now looks like a coalition of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.
The union would have 84 seats in total and this would give some breathing room above the 80 needed for a majority.
All three parties are not showing their hands yet, but none of them have closed the door on this possibility.
There are plenty of other things that could happen, including another election, but the electorate are not likely to be kind to any of the big three parties if made go back to the polls.
