Although nominations only opened yesterday morning in the contest to find the next leader of Fine Gael, and effectively the incoming taoiseach, the minister for further and higher education, Simon Harris, swiftly emerged as the overwhelming favourite.
Barely 24 hours had passed since the unexpected announcement that Leo Varadkar was standing down, but some commentators almost immediately declared that the momentum behind Mr Harris was unstoppable.
Their confidence appeared justified as one potential contender after another declared that they would not be allowing their names to go forward and instead endorsed the Wicklow TD.
Mr Varadkar was the youngest taoiseach in history when he first took up the post at the age of 38 in 2017 but, if yesterday’s firm predictions ultimately prove to be correct, Mr Harris would set a new record by being appointed at 37.
While still at a relatively early stage in his career, he does have a significant CV, having previously held the high-profile health portfolio for four years and also serving temporarily as justice minister during the maternity leave of Helen McEntee.
What he also has in common with Mr Varadkar, before the latter became taoiseach, is that he was not previously regarded as a figure who took a close interest in northern affairs.
Mr Varadkar quickly found himself plunged into dealing with familiar Stormont upheavals as well as hugely pressurised negotiations with the British government in the post-Brexit era.
He acquitted himself well but probably did not anticipate the lengths some unionists would go to as part of their curious campaign to present him as a sinister figure who was dedicated to facilitating the cause of Irish unity.
The low point was reached back in 2018 when a number of unionists accused Mr Varadkar of trawling through the archives to publicly flaunt a picture of a past IRA attack on a border customs station in a blatant attempt to imply that such violence might be about to return.
What he has in common with Mr Varadkar, before the latter became taoiseach, is that he was not previously regarded as a figure who took a close interest in northern affairs
In fact, during a meeting with EU leaders, the then taoiseach simply produced a copy of the same day’s Irish Times, which had reflected on the consequences of the 1972 Newry atrocity, to make an entirely valid observation about how much had been achieved during the long journey towards a peaceful society.
As we pointed out yesterday, Mr Varadkar actually spent most of his term of office avoiding playing a role in the growing debate on the circumstances in which a unity poll might be staged.
If Mr Harris is indeed confirmed as his successor, he should not allow occasional outbursts of equally illogical hostility to deter him from setting out a coherent stance on the referendum issue.
