THE ardfheis provided a national platform for Fianna Fail's first-time election candidates, but nobody was in any doubt that the real work was being done in the constituencies.
Mr Noel Whelan, from New Ross, Co Wexford, a candidate in Dublin South East, is a veteran of many ardfheiseanna, having worked as assistant national organiser and as special adviser to the Dublin South TD, Mr Tom Kitt, when he was Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
He is facing a tough battle to join Mr Eoin Ryan as the second Fianna Fail TD in the constituency. The other seats are held by the Minister for. Finance, Mr Quinn (Lab), Mr Michael McDowell (PD) and Ms Frances Fitzgerald (FG).
Mr John Gormley (Green Party) is expected to make a strong challenge for a seat. The constituency has some.if the most affluent and most deprived areas of the capital.
"The issues are crime, crime and crime," says Mr Whelan. "Many people have their own personal stories to tell about how they have been victims in one way or another."
Laois-Offaly has long been one of the jewels in the party's electoral crown, faithfully returning three of the five seats, but two of the party's long-serving TDs are standing down - Mr Liam Hyland is an MEP and Mr Ger Connolly is retiring.
The other seats are held by Fianna Fail's Mr Brian Cowen, Fine Gael's Mr Charles Flanagan and Labour's Mr Pat Gallagher. Among those seeking seats will be Senator Tom Enright (FG), a former TD, and Senator Cathy Honan (PD).
Fianna Fail is running four candidates, Mr Cowen, Mr Gerard Killally, Mr John Moloney and Mr Sean Fleming. A native of The Swan, a village in south Co Laois Mr Fleming lives in Castletown and is hoping to take Mr Hyland's seat.
"We are confident of retaining .the three seats. Even the last time, when there was a 2 per cent swing against the party in Laois-Offaly, we still managed to acquire 52 per cent of the vote."
Like Mr Whelan, he has observed politics closely at national level is the party's financial director but, from an electoral point of view, he sees his involvement in community activities in Laois as more important.
Ms Margaret Cox, managing director of the ICE Group computer, sales, recruitment and training company in Galway city, and a member of Galway Corporation, was recently added to the Galway West ticket. She joins the sitting TD, Mr Eamon O Cuiv, Senator Frank Fahey and Mr Sean O Neachtin.
She believes the party will retain its two seats - the second is held by Mrs Moire Geoghegan Quinn, who is retiring from politics - and that it will be in the shake-up for a third seat.
The Labour seat, held by the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins, and the PD seat, held by Mr Bobby Molloy, are vulnerable, she says. The Fine Gael seat is held by Mr Padraic McCormack. "Having no woman TD would be a big loss in Galway West, and I think that voters will recognise that."
Some of the first-time candidates are from long-established political families, which makes them no strangers to the cut-and-thrust of the hustings.
Ms Ann Leonard, a nurse at the children's hospital, Crumlin, Dublin, is attempting to retain the seat held by her father. Mr Jimmy Leonard, who is retiring, in the Cavan-Monaghan five-seater.
Fianna Fail holds two of the others seats (Dr Rory O'Hanlon and Mr Brendan Smith) and Fine Gael has two seats (Mr Seymour Crawford and Mr Andrew Boylan).
She says she loves the buzz of canvassing and the anticipation of the campaign.
"The only two things we ever spoke about in our house were politics and the GAA. I am looking forward to the life of a TD, if I am elected. As a nurse, I have had to work long and irregular hours, so I have a good idea what it would be like.
Also hoping to follow in his father's footsteps is the South Kerry candidate, Mr Brian O'Leary. His path to retaining the seat, held by Mr John O'Leary for more than 30 years, seemed relatively uncomplicated until the entry of two high-profile members of the party, Mr Jackie Healy-Rae, and Mr Breandan Mac Gearailt, as Independents.
The party's fear now is that they may split the vote, depriving Mr O'Leary of his chance to join the other Fianna Fail TD, Mr John O'Donoghue, spokesman on justice, in the Dail, but Mr O'Leary does not think so.
"The party organisation is holding firm. I think that any slippage in support will be in single percentages.
The third South Kerry seat is held by Labour's Ms Breda Moynihan-Cronin, while Fine Gael has chosen two candidates, Mr Jim Kelly and Mr Aidan O'Connor, in an attempt to regain the seat once held by Mr Michael Begley.
Mr Conor Lenihan, a former journalist, and a candidate in the five-seater Dublin South West, is yet another member of the Lenihan dynasty.
He is son of the late Brian Lenihan, grandson of P.J. Lenihan, elected to the Dail for Longford-Westmeath after Brian had been elected for Roscommon, brother of the current Dublin West TD, Mr Brian Lenihan, and, of course, nephew of the party's deputy leader, Ms Mary O'Rourke.
"You know nothing about politics until you hit the doorsteps," he says. "I was actually quite cynical about politics until I saw what could be achieved when I covered the peace process."
He is targeting the seat being vacated by Labour's Mr Mervyn Taylor, the Minister for Equality and Law Reform. The other seats are held by the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, the Minister of State to the Government, Mr Pat Rabbitte (DL), Mr Eamon Walsh (Lab) and Mr Chris Flood (FF).
Fianna Fail is fielding three candidates, Mr Flood, Mr Lenihan and Mr Colm McGrath. Fine Gael's Senator Brian Hayes is hoping to win the seat once held for the party by the former Labour leader, Mr Michael O'Leary, who joined Fine Gael after leaving his old party.
