In the purge and the purification of Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday night, the rare became wonderful. A sincerely emotional and humble Micheál Martin said sorry.

For those watching carefully in the packed parliamentary room, the realisation dawned that the Fianna Fáil leader’s apology wasn’t the unusual thing. The mistake that demanded it was unusual.

For all the tumult and change that has marked Martin’s 14 years at the helm of the party, even his detractors will admit that he has rarely called it wrong.

The next morning, TDs were feeling a cathartic relief. The night before had reminded some of the famous bloodletting at the 2021 think-in at the Slieve Russell Hotel in Co Cavan, where a bruised Fianna Fáil let rip at the leadership. What some in the parliamentary party had wanted this week was just to feel heard, not necessarily be heeded.

For a long time, TDs and senators have been smarting over what they feel is Martin pulling down the political shutters on them, running an overly-centralised Fianna Fáil that relies too much on the advice of too few. Ministers who feel more sanguine about Martin’s leadership are quick to point out that such claims appear over the top when compared with the party’s infamous Haughey era. But it has become an overwhelming criticism both inside and outside the party.

“I think there are times when he relies too much on his advisers or on party people, instead of going with his own gut instinct,” former minister Mary Hanafin said. Hanafin is very warm and complimentary of Martin’s skills, but questions if he has surrounded himself with staff “who are with him so long they might not be as tuned in to issues as some of the people who are actually out on the ground all the time”.

The Taoiseach relies on a close and trusted circle which includes long-time advisers Pat McParland and the influential Deirdre Gillane. He can be judicious about who he takes advice from. Loyalists point out that it’s to Martin’s credit that he has kept the same staff around him for so long;