Tom Elliot said that by winning back Fermanagh and South Tyrone, he'd turned the most westerly Westminster constituency, red, white and blue.
Losing the seat so famously won by Bobby Sands is a big blow to Sinn Féin. But it's the fact that Northern Ireland overall emerged from this election so red, white, and blue that must be the party's greatest worry.
The inexorable march of nationalism is a myth fostered on both sides of the political divide. This election blew it apart. The nationalist vote fell from 42% in 2010 to 38%.
The unionist parties galvanised their voters. Fermanagh and South Tyrone was close but North Belfast was a walk in the park for the DUP's Nigel Dodds.
Even if the SDLP's Alban Maginness hadn't stood, Gerry Kelly wouldn't have won.
The bedroom and ballot box strategy, like the more infamous strategy before it, isn't delivering. Sinn Féin's demands for a border poll are bluff and, were I a unionist politician, I'd be shouting 'bring it on'.
Scottish nationalism flourishes as its Irish equivalent flounders. Sinn Féin and the SDLP aren't in the same league as the SNP. Compare their tired old men to the vibrancy of Nicola Sturgeon.
In Newry and Armagh, Mickey Brady's acceptance speech was embarrassingly bad. This guy isn't MLA, let alone MP material.
By comparison, Michelle Gildernew is a huge loss and she'll surely be back in Stormont next year as a minister.
In Newry and Armagh, Justin McNulty was a perfect SDLP candidate and the party will be disappointed he didn't make any significant impact.
And Sinn Féin's new blood, Chris Hazzard and Catherine Seeley, saw their party's share of the vote fall in South Down and Upper Bann.
In Foyle, Mark Durkan recorded his biggest every majority in a contest where Sinn Féin had been predicted to close the gap. He speaks like he's swallowed a dictionary but he has integrity and people sense that.
Overall, the SDLP vote fell almost 3%. The party is lucky that its three MPs, to Sinn Féin's four, makes it look far more competitive than it actually is.
Not that Sinn Féin has much to celebrate. In West Belfast Paul Maskey secured 19,000 votes, that's a dramatic drop on the 27,000 the party polled in 2001. It's also 17% down on the last 2010 Westminster vote.
During Stormont's gay marriage vote, the UUP's Danny Kinahan could have taken the easy option and abstained. Instead, on the eve of an election, he voted yes. Principle is rare in politics and he'll make a fine MP.
By contrast, ungracious acceptance speeches from several DUP winners showed a snide side that doesn't belong in politics.
Despite fielding young candidates, the TUV had a poor election, shedding significant support to UKIP. Jim Allister has been unable to translate his personal popularity into party votes.
In East Belfast, Naomi Long's awesome performance – pulling out 4,000 new votes amidst a campaign of vilification – makes her the election's stand-out candidate.
Female candidates polled well in Belfast with Alliance's Paula Bradshaw, the Greens' Clare Bailey, and the Workers' Party's Gemma Weir, substantially increasing their parties vote.
Peter Robinson was at the Kings' Hall count but it was really Nigel Dodds who left his mark on proceedings. A potential future leadership contest between him and Sammy Wilson would be fascinating.
