Former ceann comhairle and minister for justice John O’Donoghue has started what appears to be an orchestrated campaign to secure the Fianna Fáil nomination for the next general election in Kerry South.
Mr O'Donoghue, who lost his seat in the last general election, has also vowed to rebuild the party in the three-seat constituency and dampened down speculation the constituency will be joined with Kerry North in revision of electoral boundaries.
Mr O'Donoghue has made no secret of the fact that he intends to remain in politics but has kept a low profile since his election defeat a year ago next Saturday.
During interviews in today's Kerry's Eye newspaper and on local radio, the former minister said there wasn't a parish in the constituency that had not benefited from his time as a minister in two cabinets.
He said his successes as a TD remained standing and that opinions expressed in national newspapers on the expenses controversy which marred his last term in the Dáil were "yesterday's fish and chip paper".
"I have delivered enormously for the constituency," he said.
Naming key Fianna Fáil people in Kerry South, Mr O'Donoghue also outlined how he was intent on working with them to build up the party once again.
He attacked the independent TDs Tom Fleming and Michael Healy Rae – both from Fianna Fáil backgrounds — who now represent Kerry South along with Fine Gael's Brendan Griffin, dismissing them as "spectators," probably doing more harm than good when it came to their ability to influence the current Government.
"The truth of the matter is that two of the Government TDs in this constituency are completely powerless. They have more or less been reduced to spectators," Mr O'Donoghue said.
"Their crowning moment was to attend the opening of two hospitals (community hospitals in Dingle and Kenmare) which I built," he added.
He has also said his expenses were costs incurred in the normal course of events and compared them to the €30,000 spent recently by Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan on a trip to South Africa.
"If I went to South Africa and it cost 30,000 euro I would be on every front page in the country," he said.
Mr O'Donoghue also referred to a number of TDs who lost seats and made a come back in the constituency. At age 55 he was young enough – and with his experience in two cabinets he was best placed to represent Fianna Fail and the constituency, he said.