Labour begins its campaign to win back a seat in its one-time Kerry North stronghold with the nomination tonight of polltopping councillor Terry O'Brien to contest the next general election.
The seat was held by the Spring family from 1943 until it was lost to Sinn Féin's Martin Ferris at the last election.
The next election will mark the first time in more than six decades that the Spring name will be absent from a ballot paper.
Mr O'Brien told The Irish Times he intended carrying out a vigorous campaign between now and the election.
"The issues in north Kerry are the provision of jobs, the state of the health services and anti-social behaviour. There is not sufficient political clout to deliver to the people.
"During the last election, I could not park my van because of the number of black Mercedes transporting Ministers who were canvassing and warning that there would have to be a government TD in the constituency. They seemed to disappear after that."
Mr O'Brien has been confined to a wheelchair since 1989, when he broke his neck in an accident in New York after diving into the shallow water of a swimming pool.
He works as community development officer for the Irish Wheelchair Association in Kerry and drives a specially adapted van.
"My health is fine and I am well up to representing the constituency if elected," he said.
Apart from Mr Ferris, the Dáil seats in Kerry North are held by Fianna Fáil's Tom McEllistrim and Fine Gael's Jimmy Deenihan.
Mr O'Brien will launch a formidable challenge for a seat, with the backing of former Labour leader, tánaiste and minister Dick Spring, and his sister, the former councillor and constituency secretary Maeve Spring.
Mr Spring succeeded his father, Dan Spring, in the Dáil in 1981, and polled an impressive 8,773 first preferences before losing out to Mr Ferris in the 2002 election.
Tonight's selection convention, which has Mr O'Brien as the only candidate, will, symbolically, be held in the Siptu office, in Rock Street, Tralee, scene of many a Spring rally over the decades.
It will be chaired by Labour's spokeswoman on education Jan O'Sullivan, and Labour leader Pat Rabbitte will attend.
Encouraged by Mr Spring to enter local politics in the 1980s, Mr O'Brien has served as mayor of Tralee on two occasions.
In the 2004 local elections, he headed the poll in the Tralee town council and county council elections.
In the county council election, he outpolled Anne McEllistrim, sister of Tom McEllistrim, and Toireasa Ferris, daughter of Martin Ferris.
Mr O'Brien is based in Tralee, where there will be a bitter battle for votes, not least among the two local Fianna Fáil candidates, Mr McEllistrim and Norma Foley, daughter of former FF TD Denis Foley.
The feeling locally is that any one of the three sitting TDs could be vulnerable to a strong challenge from Mr O'Brien.
