The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, was in Carlow yesterday to attend the first meeting in the town of the Progressive Democrats' national executive.
The meeting dealt primarily with strategy for the next general election, when the PDs will be standing as an independent party. Carlow-Kilkenny is one of a dozen key constituencies being targeted by the party in the hope of gaining Dail seats.
The chairman of the parliamentary party, Senator Jim Gibbons, told The Irish Times he will be seeking a party nomination in Carlow-Kilkenny at the next general election.
This was the last regular meeting of the executive before the PDs' national conference, scheduled to take place in Cork next November.