It wasn't the best of starts for Fine Gael yesterday morning. The news of their decision to call the Tipperary South by-election was followed directly by the latest travails of "the former Fine Gael minister" Michael Lowry at the Moriarty tribunal.
The party's director of elections, Mr Charles Flanagan, already in situ in Clonmel, was not accepting there would be any "specific damage" to his party's chances. "I think it is quite clear that Mr Lowry's association with Fine Gael in recent times has been nil."
According to party sources, Mr Noonan has taken comfort from a poll in the constituency, again showing strong support for his candidate, Senator Tom Hayes.
While the stakes are high for Mr Noonan, who has had a run of bad luck since becoming leader, Fianna Fail also has a lot to prove after its vote collapsed the last time. Just as Fine Gael now has to contend with the Lowry factor, this time last year the Government was suffering from the fallout from the O'Flaherty affair.
Its then candidate, Mr Barry O'Brien, a Clogheen-based county councillor, came third in first preferences, as the party's vote slumped by 14.5 per cent. The result sent shock waves through the party.
Now they have a new candidate in Cllr Michael Maguire from Lattin East. He was Minister of State and Mr Noel Davern's running mate in the last general election. Rather than have a local director of elections (last year it was Mr Davern) Dublin TD Mr Brian Lenihan has been appointed.
Party sources say they were pleasantly surprised by the performance of Mr Maguire in the second Fine Gael-commissioned poll, which showed him at about 30 per cent, while Mr Hayes was at about 36 per cent.
On paper, Fine Gael should be the favourite. It has a strong candidate in Senator Hayes, from Golden, who polled well last June.
However, nobody is discounting the strong opposition to be faced from Clonmel-based Ms Phil Prendergast, who has been chosen as the candidate for Mr Seamus Healy's Workers and Unemployed Action Group. (Mr Healy won a spectacular victory in this constituency just under a year ago.) A midwife in the local St Joseph's Hospital, Ms Prendergast attracted 18 per cent support in the FG poll.
Labour has chosen as its candidate its sole county councillor in the constituency, Mr Denis Landy, from Carrick-on-Suir. The party is anxious to ensure plenty of exposure for Mr Landy in advance of the general election.