HER mother made her name as a firebrand student leader at Queen's University Belfast, campaigning for civil rights and creating havoc in the corridors of power in the late 1960s.
His father carved a reputation there as an ambitious, intelligent young unionist, with a strong streak of individualism in the staid mid 1950s.
Now, decades later, their offspring are back. The daughter of Bernadette McAliskey is standing against the son of the Ulster Unionist deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, for the presidency of the Queen's Students' Union. They are two of the three candidates in the election to be held on Thursday.
Deirdre McAliskey (20) is a psychology student, as was her mother. Unionists claim her election would mark the resurgence of republicanism at the university. Ms McAliskey says she is very much her own woman.
"I come from a republican background, but my personal politics are my own and they're not relevant to this election anyway," she says. "I respect my mother, as I do other political figures, but I'm not into hero worship."
She welcomes the presence at Queen's of organisations such as Saoirse, the prisoners' group, "because it creates a dynamic. We should embrace diversity, not quash it".
Jonathon Taylor (22) - known as Johnny to his friends - disagrees. "There has been a very worrying rise in republicanism here recently. Sinn Fein has a presence at some meetings. I'm calling on unionists and moderate nationalists to vote for me to stop the rot."
He wants bilingual signs taken down in the union and the British national anthem reintroduced at graduation ceremonies.
He broadly shares his father's politics, although he "wasn't too happy" with his description of the Tanaiste as the most detested politician in the North.
The Taylor household was reportedly far from pleased when told of young Jonathon's election plans. "His father will kill him," Mrs Taylor reportedly exclaimed.
The third candidate in the election is Michelle McCauley (22), currently deputy president. With long hair and a baggy shirt, she is the archetypal student activist. Ms McCauley claims she has the best track record in the union and will unite the campus.
The election has been hijacked by external political matters, she says. She doesn't have famous parents.