Winter training pays dividends for Ahern

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, brought the Fianna Fáil campaign to the midlands and the south-east yesterday at breakneck speed.

Ignoring speed limits and with gardaí waving the motorcade through intersections, the Taoiseach kept more than 30 appointments with community groups, locals and the party faithful. Constituencies visited included Laois-Offaly, Tipperary South and Tipperary North.

Having previously dispensed with the need for a campaign bus - and protracted interviews with journalists - the Taoiseach, accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, swept into Ferbane Community Centre in Co Offaly at 10.35 a.m.

A meeting with women from a FÁS community recycling scheme was followed by a high-speed walkabout in the main street and a visit to a social services coffee morning in a local pub, all of which took 25 minutes.

The cracking pace had clearly upset some party faithful. "No, I won't tell you anything about the constituency," said a man who was wearing a "I'm Backing Bertie" sticker. "The Irish Times is no friend of Fianna Fáil. F... off now". Another party worker said the remark was in jest.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach's motorcade was speeding towards Cloghan, where the Taoiseach met party supporters just before 11 a.m. At 11.10 a.m., he was posing in a hard hat at the Loughann concrete factory, near Birr, and was on the move again by 11.15 a.m.

By 11.19 a.m., he was in the Chesterfield Close community centre creche and was gone again by 11.30 a.m.

After a walkabout in Emmet Square, Birr, the Taoiseach sprinted up the stairs of the County Arms Hotel at 11.45 a.m. to respond to a speech from Councillor Willie Loughnane and exhort the faithful to deliver a 100 per cent effort in the general election.

From there it was on to Co Tipperary, where the pace slowed.

At Roscrea, the Taoiseach criticised Fine Gael comments which described Fianna Fáil as a party of greed and selfishness. The Taoiseach said the comments by the Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, were disgraceful. He also reiterated the Government's record on jobs and public spending.

Next up were visits to Toomevara National School, the Fianna Fáil office in Nenagh and St Mary's s School for Girls, where the Taoiseach was greeted by a chorus of squeals normally reserved for Westlife.

Flanked by the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, and former minister Mr Michael O'Kennedy, Mr Ahern told pupils at Nenagh Vocational School that he too would be facing an exam of sorts this summer.

In Thurles, he took the time to play with the local soccer team.

From there it was on to Cashel, Cahir and Carrick-on-Suir, before heading back to Dublin last night.

Asked about his stamina, Mr Ahern said he had been in training throughout the winter by jogging in the mornings.