Candidate who is used to working against the odds fights on

Chin up, smile in place, goodwill undented by letter-writers, party plotters or sniffy cynics, Adi Roche hit the campaign trail around Dublin city yesterday - a day distinguished by a rare manifestation of Ruairi Quinn, chairman of her campaign team.

Other prominent supporters at the Irish Film Centre for Concern's Christmas fast launch included Democratic Left leader, Proinsias De Rossa, Labour TD, Joe Costello, and the Green MEP, Patricia McKenna.

But there was added piquancy around Mr Quinn's presence - not to mention conspicuous added space - given the persistent rumours about an imminent challenge for the Labour leadership.

Yesterday, he was holding his firepower for Mary McAleese and her tardy arrival. ". . . And no apology for being late", he was heard to murmur as she began her address without any reference to the lateness of the hour.

They all wore blue Concern No 1 rosettes, eerily similar to those worn by Tories on election night - a fact humorously acknowledged by David Begg, Concern's chief executive, who went on to over-compensate for the rosette business ever so slightly by suggesting that "anybody in politics or [who] puts themselves forward in politics is a true patriot".

Though any thought of a pact this time round seems to have gone down the tubes, Mr De Rossa is hanging on to sweet memories of other times and other pacts. His No 2 is going to Mary Banotti.

Yesterday was also distinguished by Adi Roche coming out to fight for her place. On a visit to the Islamic Community in Clonskeagh, for the first time, she asked a community, straight out, for its first preferences.

She was only doing this, she said, because of the "huge gap" she had to fill between now and polling day.

She told them of her fears of a "roll-back to more conservative, old-fashioned thinking" and of her vision of "a pluralist democratic society, one that would embrace all traditions".

She and the Islamic men (no women featured in the reception committee) chatted about mutual acquaintances from around the world and the men talked of their gratitude to Labour and Ruairi Quinn. A satisfactory outing, by all accounts.

Later at the Ideal Homes Exhibition at the RDS, her camp won a minor victory over Fine Gael when a couple of the latter's (fairly cross) campaigners were told no campaigning was allowed inside, even while Ms Roche was being led around the Simmonscourt Pavilion by Sean Lemass, grandson of the Fianna Fail "Let Lemass Lead On" icon.

It was a cheerful stop-off with a captive queue, tailor-made for an election candidate, with many of them saying just the right thing. "Something tells me this election is harder to call than the polls suggest - it's too pat," said Anne Daly of Esperanza Productions, an independent production company. "Somehow I feel people are not being honest . . . We could yet be taken by surprise."

Children sidled up and announced they had "voted" for Ms Roche at school elections, assuring her that she had won.

Liam O'Donovan of Home world Furniture seemed to be offering her a suite of furniture for the Aras; he noticed very "woodwormy" stuff around the place when both Dev and Hillery were in situ.

Back then to the city centre where more than 60 environmental activists, musicians and artists had dedicated a river spectacle to her on the Liffey in recognition of her 20 years "of tireless campaigning for the environment", in the words of Clare O'Grady Walsh.

The candidate lit a flame that lit the eye of a 150 foot "salmon" in the river to reflect their aspiration to "get salmon standard water quality applied to the Liffey".

She then fired up the crowd of several hundred about the power of the people, the power of petitioning, the power that removed the danger of nuclear power from Carnsore.

More immediately, she left them with the thought: "I'm not concerned about the polls. I'm used to having to work against the odds."