IN the 1994 by election in Mayo West, a campaigner for an RTC for Castlebar disconcerted the political establishment by polling more than 6,000 first preference votes. Mr Paddy McGuinness was not elected, but Galway RTC's Castlebar campus soon followed.
Mr McGuinness, a popular shopkeeper in the town, is credited with that achievement.
Dissatisfaction and mistrust about the Government's commitment to the fledgling campus mean he is thinking of running again.
If he does, he says he will be elected. Many in Castlebar share that view.
The Mayo election will be a hard fought contest. The amalgamation of two constituencies means six sitting TDs are chasing five seats.
In addition, private Fine Gael polls show Mr Padraig Flynn's daughter, Ms Beverly CooperFlynn, will romp home. Her defeat in the 1994 by election has not deterred her from standing again and she is expected to top the poll.
Add the possibility of a television or water candidate, Mr McGuinness's intentions, and you have a recipe for uncertainty in Mayo that has rarely been seen.
Mr McGuinness, who has campaigned for an RTC for 18 years, says only political pressure will ensure its survival and growth. The RTC has already fallen well behind its targeted growth, due to Government indifference, he claims.
Only a cast iron guarantee would stop him from standing.
"If the Government takes a decision now to complete phase one in 1998, then our campaign is over. If they don't, then I or some one else will be standing," he says.
Because Mayo East and Mayo West are now one constituency, he believes he stands a better chance of success.
The border between the two former constituencies ran three miles east of Castlebar, cutting off much of his potential support in the 1994 by election.
Areas previously outside his voting area include the towns of Swinford and Foxford, Kiltimagh and Balla, all less than 16 miles from Castlebar and places where support for the RTC is strong.
"If they push me hard enough I'll end up running and the likelihood is that I'm going to get elected," he says.
"I nearly owe it to them: they gave me such a vote in half the county, and I owe it to the entire county to see the project delivered. My motivation is not to become a TD: it's to get a proper RTC for the county."
He dismisses a £609,000 allocation for the campus this year as an electoral ploy and says £1.8 million is needed to secure its future.
A decision to run will be made the day the election is called, he says.
In the meantime, the small campus has made a grand impression under the dynamic leadership of its director, Dr Richard Thorn.
The former head of environmental science in Sligo RTC, Dr Thorn has a background in industry and has moved quickly to develop strong links between the campus and its community.
And there is emphasis on continuing education.
A heritage studies course, a diploma in computing and an outdoor education programme have been added to the three courses it opened with in 1994 (in construction, business studies and computing).
There are plans to expand next year with courses in accounting, electronics and a new construction course to emphasise traditional building techniques.
About 45 mature students are enrolled on a foundation studies course, including some long term unemployed people learning new skills one day a week while retaining their social welfare entitlements.
The emphasis on continuing education can be seen in the student profile: just under 400 full time students this year but about 500 attending part time courses. It is an area Dr Thorn hopes to develop further.
"There is a very imbalanced full time student population in the country," he says.
"Only about 3 to 4 per cent of full time students are over 23. In the UK it's 27 per cent."
The target enrolment for the Castlebar campus is 900 students by the year 2000, a project which carries a £4 million price tag.
The campus eventually hopes toe take over all the psychiatric hospital where it is based, using some of the extra space for student accommodation and facilities for community groups and the local community radio station.
It is fortunate in its supportive relationship with the main campus in Galway which does not restrict its freedom, according to Dr Thorn.
"We get a very free hand from Galway. We develop our own academic plan, we operate our own budget, we decide on our own priorities. So far, nobody has come back from Galway to say: `We don't think you are doing it the right way'," he says.