Elaine Loughlin: Martin goes off script to point out 'cold hard cynicism' at heart of Sinn Féin
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In his own words it had been both "a privilege and a responsibility" to lead the Government over the past two-and-half years.
But faced with a pandemic, the war in Ukraine, a cost of living crisis, not to mention the perpetual emergencies in housing and healthcare, very often it must have felt heavy on responsibility and light on the little privileges that come with the Taoiseach's office.
Just after 9.30am on Saturday, Micheál Martin made his way to Áras an Uachtaráin to tender his resignation to President Michael D Higgins.
Unlike Leo Varadkar, who would arrive to Phoenix Park with multiple executive buses filled with family members and friends just a few hours later, Mr Martin in his signature understated style was accompanied only by his wife Mary and chief of staff Deirdre Gillane for his final act as Taoiseach.
It perfectly summed up a leader, who quietly led this country through one of the roughest times in the State's 100-year history.
After almost three decades of waiting, it cannot have been the term Mr Martin — who like it or not will be remembered as the Covid Taoiseach — had anticipated.
But unlike his first day in office which saw him appointed Taoiseach in a socially distanced Convention Centre, his wife and their son Micheál Aodh along with parliamentary assistant Mary Rose Desmond were able to share his final moment as leader of the historic coalition.
Glancing up to the group, who sat behind the in-coming Taoiseach's family and partner Matt in the Dáil's distinguished visitors gallery, Martin said: "As I finish this term in office, I would like most of all to thank my wife Mary and our family, Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe and Cillian for the unfailing advice, support, and encouragement and occasional criticism they have given me and particularly Mary who has always tried to keep me on time throughout my life.
"We have been blessed by the wonderful community of Cork, which has looked out for us and given me the strongest possible reassurance that all would be well as I spent so much time away. My upbringing in Turners Cross in Cork and the values that it imparted and the love of my late parents has guided me throughout."
The Fianna Fáil leader said it had been "both a privilege and a responsibility" to serve as head of government in a free and democratic republic.
"I have been deeply conscious of this every day I have held the office of Taoiseach."
And with that his time had come and gone.
Before the final vote had been announced, Mr Varadkar had slipped into chair allocated for the Taoiseach of the day in the Dáil, with Martin sitting to his left.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the captain's armband might be passing from one to the other but Mr Varadkar would be managing a similar team.
"On Monday morning Tánaiste Micheál Martin will be running out with the rest of us, determined to do everything we can to serve the people," the third leader in the coalition told the Dáil.
But perhaps the now-Tánaiste provided a sign of what is to come when he went off-script when he returned to the Dáil on Saturday evening as the new Foreign Affairs Minister.
"I had not been intending to directly respond to today's speeches," he said before focusing his attention on Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and her earlier Dáil speech.
"I think she has confirmed that according to Sinn Féin, they can find nothing positive to comment about in our country, nothing has ever been achieved, there is no progress."
In a signal of what we may expect over the next half of this Government, he went on to say there is a "cold hard cynicism" to be found in Sinn Féin.
Just like the frost that has been lying on the Leinster House plinth, it seems that Mr Martin's departure from the Taoiseach's office hasn't done anything to thaw out relations between Fianna Fáil and the party now tipped to next enter top office after the next election.