The Taoiseach made a startling revelation to the Dáil yesterday.

In the course of telling the Fianna Fáil leader that his Government was doing everything possible to facilitate the Garda in its fight against gangland crime, Enda Kenny said he had met the Garda Commissioner, Nóirín O’Sullivan, and her senior officers “quite recently” and they had discussed the issue.

He had inquired if sufficient resources were being made available to them to do their job. And the senior personnel “assured” the Taoiseach (and his Minister for Justice) that they were being looked after very well.

You bet they did. It’s always wise to be nice to your Minister and her Taoiseach.

The bombshell came with Enda’s description of his part in the exchange.

“I asked them a direct question.”

A direct question.

That has to be seen as huge progress for the Taoiseach. For if he could ask a direct question, surely the day when he might give a direct answer can’t be far behind? Sadly, he still has a way to go yet before that milestone is achieved.

Although in the interest of their new partnership deal, Micheál Martin was willing to concede a tiny amount of latitude to the Taoiseach during Leaders’ Questions. Until he got his hands on the puppet strings of power, Micheál was never inclined to be anything other than outraged and utterly frustrated by Enda’s replies.

It seemed like business as usual when he rose to follow up on the response to his first question about gangland crime. But as he began to speak, Micheál suddenly toned down the annoyance.

"Taoiseach, I'm very dis. . ."he started, before recalibrating. "I'm quite disappointed by your response."

Very disappointed

Gerry Adams, on the other hand, was definitely very disappointed. But then, he doesn’t have the sort of relationship with the Taoiseach that Micheál currently enjoys.

Perhaps, having just heard Enda talk about his “quite recent” meeting with the commissioner, coupled with him revealing he had asked “a direct question,” the Sinn Féin leader thought he might get a direct answer to his question on what instructions the commissioner had given her legal team at the beginning of the O’Higgins commission of investigation into allegations of Garda malpractice made by Sgt Maurice McCabe.

According to leaked transcripts, the commissioner’s counsel was initially instructed to attack the integrity of the whistleblower, but that approach was dropped after McCabe produced a recording that contradicted two senior Garda witnesses who were going to testify that he had told them he had acted out of malice.

As this controversy rumbles on, Adams noted O’Sullivan had not yet said anything on the matter. He asked Enda a simple question: has he spoken to the commissioner about this; and, if not, was he going to ask her what instructions she had issued to her legal counsel?

The Taoiseach said he hadn’t talked to her, but she will be appearing before the Policing Authority tomorrow, so you never know.

Selective leaks

Just to be clear on the question of whether he asked about the legal instructions and the two officers who had met the whistleblower, Kenny said: “It seems as if a person or persons were very much aware of what they were doing when they chose to leak selected pieces of evidence from a commission of investigation and that in itself is an offence, as you are well aware. I have no idea who that person or persons are.”

Nothing whatsoever to do with what Adams had asked.

He then caused widespread confusion on the Government’s response to the gangland situation when party leaders presumed he was speaking in his role as Taoiseach rather than as Enda Kenny, citizen.

Commenting on the latest murder in the ongoing gangland feud in Dublin, he said: “This is a dispute between two families and it’s a vicious, murderous dispute and I don’t think that I can stop that.”

The other party leaders were appalled by what they saw as an admission of defeat from the Government.

Far from it, insisted Kenny. His Government would not “lie down in the face of this particular continuing murderous onslaught”. Every resource, facility and backing would be made available to the Garda.

They had it all wrong, Enda explained. He was just saying that it was a murderous campaign “which I, as a person, cannot stop”. As Citizen Kenny he can do nothing. But was anybody even thinking that? Does Enda see himself as some sort of avenger? Castlebar’s answer to Dirty Harry? Dirty Kenny? “Go ahead, punk, make my lá.”

Small comfort

A strange thing to say. However, and this will come as some small comfort to the people who live in Dublin’s north inner city, he shall be among them soon to console and comfort at the scene of the latest murder.

“I received an invitation to go down to the location from Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan. I intend to take up that.”

He’ll probably meet a woman on Parnell Street who’ll come up to him and thank him for all he is doing for the inner city.

Meanwhile, Brendan Howlin had his first taste of Leaders’ Questions as Labour’s latest boss. Alan Kelly wasn’t there to see it.

Howlin also got his first taste of how the Taoiseach intends to deal with him – which will be to constantly remind him that he spent the last five years working hand in glove with Michael Noonan, so don’t go lecturing the Government now on how not to wield the knife and upset public servants.

Enda took two lovely cuts at him. Brendan said it wasn’t a good idea to split responsibility for rural broadband between two departments.

Quick as a flash, Enda replied: “It worked very well in the Department of Finance for a number of years, as you’d be aware.”

And when Howlin’s first questions were all about looking after public servants, he said: “In your previous capacity as minister for public expenditure and reform in the previous government, you did an enormous job in dealing with very difficult circumstances, Deputy Howlin, and I’ve commended you publicly before for your engagement with trades unions on public sector pay in very difficult circumstances given the nature of the decisions that the government of the day had to make. “

Micheál Martin was in stitches. “That’s no way to speak to the Opposition,” he said, smirking.

“Well, I thought I’d just say it anyway,” Enda replied with a smirk.

Even Brendan had to laugh.