Career:During one of his first newspaper interviews in the 1970s, a young bushy-haired Pat Rabbitte with impressive sideburns explained why he had entered left-wing politics.
"Well, during my time at university I quickly became aware that there was a major division in our society," he said. "It hadn't struck me so forcefully before. But here we all were, getting the benefit of a higher education, while the majority of working class kids never got near the place. I felt I wanted to do something to change that . . ."
Yesterday, as he stood down as leader of the Labour Party, he spoke of that same need to target inequality in society.
"In the land of the Celtic Tiger there remains serious inequality. The proposition that we desert that, I simply can't accept. Our fundamental convictions ought not change."
He may have taken a long and circuitous political journey to the Labour Party - via Sinn Féin the Workers' Party, then the Workers' Party, New Agenda (briefly) and Democratic Left - but his priorities have remained broadly the same.
Born into a small family in Ballindine near Claremorris, Co Mayo, in May 1949, Mr Rabbitte has travelled far from his roots, representing Dublin South West, a constituency that includes some of the poorest areas in the capital.
His primary school days were in Cullane national school, little more than a mile from home through the fields. After attending St Colman's College, Claremorris, he graduated from University College Galway with a degree in English literature and politics.
His first brush with politics came as the college's student leader. He later served as president of the fledgling Union of Students in Ireland and nearly succeeded in getting every college campus to affiliate.
By 1974, Mr Rabbitte was national secretary of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (now Siptu), a rising star in the trade union movement, and a member of the Labour Party. Ironically, given his alliance for change with Enda Kenny in the recent election, he quit the party in 1976 because of his disillusionment over Labour's alliance with Fine Gael.
He went on to join Sinn Féin the Workers' Party, winning a seat on Dublin County Council in the local elections of 1985, before finally reaching the Dáil in the 1989 general election.
At this point he began to become a household name, with his acerbic wit and barbed taunts lighting up otherwise dreary Dáil exchanges. His almost visceral dislike of Fianna Fáil led to stinging attacks on Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern.
While often razor-sharp in opposition, he made several decisions which gave critics plenty of ammunition to attack him. His backing of an amnesty for holders of bogus non-resident accounts was one example.
Another was his initial acceptance of a £2,000 donation from PR executive Frank Dunlop in 1992. Even though the money was later sent back by cheque, he was later hounded over it when it emerged he had not told the Flood tribunal about it.
His first stint in government came in 1994 when as a "super" junior minister in the rainbow administration. Perhaps it was this experience in government which helped lead him to back a merger with Labour, which finally went through on January 24th, 1999.
He later became leader in 2002, on the back of a poor general election performance.
A key plank of his platform was his refusal to go into government with Fianna Fáil. He was in bullish form, pledging to oust the FF-PD coalition and increase the Labour vote.
"Bertie Ahern can get ready to collect his P45," he said, to the cheers of supporters. In the end, he failed on both counts. Mr Ahern is settled into Government Buildings for another five years, while Labour won the same number of seats as it did in the 2002 general election.
During a family holiday this summer, while walking the windswept hills and mountains near Ballyferriter in Co Kerry, he realised his time as leader was up. "I feel I did give it my best shot," said Mr Rabbitte, who is married with three daughters.
"I kind of felt I would have one shot at it. I gave it my best, I've no regrets."
