Sinn Féin's Mr Martin Ferris could top the poll in the constituency of Kerry North, a new opinion poll indicated today.
An MRBI opinion poll carried out for Radio Kerry placed Mr Ferris at the front of a field that includes former tánaiste Mr Dick Spring.
The survey of 400 voters placed Mr Ferris on 28 per cent, former Labour leader Mr Spring on 23 per cent, Fine Gael's Mr Jimmy Deenihan on 21 per cent, Fianna Fáil candidates Mr Tom McEllistrim on 18 per cent and Mr Dan Kiely on 9 per cent with independent Mr James Kennedy on 1 per cent.
In the last general election in 1997, Mr Ferris missed out on a seat in Kerry North despite outpolling the two Fianna Fáil candidates because of a failure to attract enough transfers.
Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness have travelled to Kerry in recent months in an all-out push to help Mr Ferris triumph in a tight three-seat constituency.
Mr Ferris has been twice convicted of IRA membership in the 1970s, fasting for 47 days during one period in jail in 1977. In 1984, he was imprisoned for 10 years for trying to smuggle seven tonnes of weapons from the United States on board the Marita Ann.