They called it the greening of the west when Sinn Fein won a number of vital Westminster seats in the western parts of Northern Ireland.
Now the party which has an All-Ireland agenda certainly continued that policy on the ground by significantly increasing their TDs in the Republic's Dail during last Friday's election.
Now Sinn Fein has elected representatives in the Dail in every border county in the Republic, continuing their spread from this side of the Border where they have Westminster seats in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, West Tyrone and Mid Ulster.
It's also all change with other parties too with Fine Gael taking the lion's share of the vote falling just about seven short of an overall working majority and at the time of going to Press were still locked in negotiations with the Labour Party with a view to forming a coalition government. Both parties greatly increased their representation in the Dail.
How this affects the Border area will be interesting to see in the months and years ahead. Many parts of the Border area, both north and south have not fully realised the benefits from the huge investments made elsewhere apart from some fine road networks as you cross the Border southwards. The sad thing is that this under funding in many of our rural border areas will continue for some time as we continue to ride the recession.
Perhaps this is where the new administration in Dublin can make a change. If the government is to be based on Fine Gael and Labour, it's just possible that jobs and investment might be a priority. And with Sinn Fein exerting more power in the Dail Chamber with 14 out of the 165 seats, they will no doubt advocate a rural policy with more harmony between their political representatives north and south of the Border. More money in the pockets of the Irish citizens, especially in Border counties, will be beneficial to our shops and businesses here.
No-one however should be under any illusions that a change of government in Dublin will mean any quick fix for the Irish economy. The joy on the faces of successful Fine Gael candidates knowing they will form the next government may be tempered with frustration and dismay once they realise the challenges ahead. It's always easy to criticise in opposition but when you are in power, it's entirely a different matter.