Intensive canvassing is under way in the Fianna Fáil group on Dublin City Council for the post of Lord Mayor of the city.
Three candidates are fighting for the job in a contest that will be decided by a vote by the party's 20 councillors next Tuesday night. They are Mr Royston Brady, Ms Mary Mooney and Ms Deirdre Heney.
The contest is the subject of extensive speculation within Fianna Fáil, which has shared the post on an alternate basis with the Labour Party in recent years.
With the term of office of the current Lord Mayor, Mr Dermot Lacey of Labour, nearing an end, attention has shifted to the battle within Fianna Fáil for the post.
Apart from the trappings of office and residency in the Mansion House, the post offers high visibility to any candidate with aspirations to stand for the Dáil.
Ms Mooney is a businesswoman and a former TD. Some in the party speculate that many of the Fianna Fáil TDs on the council have indicated support for her campaign.
The Fianna Fáil TDs on the council are Mr Sean Haughey, Mr Sean Ardagh, Mr Pat Carey, Mr Dermot Fitzpatrick, Mr Martin Brady and Mr Michael Mulcahy.
However, their individual voting intentions are unclear.
Mr Royston Brady is a long-time activist in the constituency network of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in Drumcondra. He is a brother of Senator Cyprian Brady, one the Mr Ahern's 11 nominees in the Seanad.
It was believed before the general election last year that Mr Brady would stand for the Dáil in Dublin Central. However, the outgoing TD, Mr Dermot Fitzpatrrick, was selected.
Party sources in north Dublin said yesterday that Mr Brady had the support in his campaign of Cllr Maurice Ahern, a brother of the Taoiseach and leader of the Fianna Fáil group on the city council.
Mr Noel Ahern TD, another brother of the Taoiseach, is said to be supporting the candidacy of Ms Heney.
Ms Heney works for Mr Noel Ahern in his capacity as Minister of State for Environment and Local Government. She polled 5,533 first-preference votes in the general election last year in Dublin North Central, but failed to be elected.
During the election she was involved in a row with the outgoing TD, Mr Sean Haughey, when he alleged favouritism from party headquarters. Mr Haughey topped the poll.
There will be one round of votes initially at the meeting next Tuesday in the City Hall. If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the votes, the candidate placed third will be eliminated before a run-off in a second round of voting.
The last Fianna Fáil lord mayor of Dublin was Mr Anthony Creevey. A former Labour Party activist, he replaced Mr Michael Mulcahy for a number of weeks after he was elected to the Dáil during the general election.
