The petitions committee of the European Parliament will hear a submission in Brussels tomorrow from the West Kerry Roads Action Group on the condition of the N86 between Tralee and Dingle.
The chairperson of the group, Ms Brigid O'Connor, lobbied local TDs for more than a year in an effort to have something done about a road that is meant to be one of the main tourist routes in the State, but which, in effect, is a nightmarish collection of twists, turns and potholes.
When all else failed, Ms O'Connor searched the Internet and discovered the little known petitions committee and that she could make her case for a hearing by filling in an electronic form. She was backed by villagers from Camp, Annascaul, Castlegregory, Cloghane and The Maharees who formed the action group.
The committee responded last June, telling the group their case was admissible and that they would be notified of a date for the hearing. Tomorrow 11 members will fly out from Shannon to Brussels. They believe the case, finally, will receive the attention it never got at home.
It was new territory to her, Ms O'Connor said yesterday, and the Internet search was a last resort. "But it paid off and they're going to hear what we have to say. I will have five minutes to make an oral submission but they already have our written one."
The core of the action group's case is that Kerry is the fourth largest county in Ireland but only ranks 14th in the pecking order for road funds.
She believes the committee will want to know why this is so and will ask the Government to give an account of how Euro funds are dispersed. There may be some red faces, she says.
Kerry County Council says it would cost about €21 million to tackle the N86 and it doesn't have the money.