The Tánaiste Ms Harney's most infamous form of travel has been the Government jet. She went considerably down market yesterday when she took to an old turf cart pulled by a Shetland pony.
Arriving in the Co Offaly village of Kilmurray, she seemed a little taken aback when she saw the tiny cart and miniature pony. But she gamefully agreed to get on board, along with the Progressive Democrats candidate in the constituency Mr Tom Parlon.
Holding on tightly, they were pulled by George, the 5 foot 6 inches pony, and led by the Mount Bolus Pipe Band. George looked like he had seen all the hoopla and razzmatazz before and, indeed, his minder Mr Joe Cleary confirmed, he had. Last year he carried the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in Tullamore. George, everyone agreed, is a very political animal.
Ms Harney was firing the starting gun for a sponsored walk for the Offaly Hospice movement. It was a cold and windy day, with occasional hailstone showers, but the walkers were enthusiastic. The women were particularly impressed with the Tánaiste, believing she looked much better in person - years younger.
From Kilmurray, the canvassing party moved to Tullamore and the Texas DIY store. Not part of the well-known Texas chain but instead a large store owned by Tom "Texas" McNamara. Unfortunately, Texas Tom, as he is known, couldn't be there to meet the Tánaiste in person but he texted his apologies to Mr Parlon.
The Tánaiste has a good canvassing manner. She interacts easily with people and they respond well. However, if the number of hands shaken is the measurement of a good afternoon's canvassing, the total would be considerably below that of the Taoiseach.
Mr Parlon seems to have built an impressive organisation in the past six weeks, with three full-time constituency offices. He has also organised 24 zones with about six people in each. "I have canvassers in every half-parish in the constituency." The former IFA president finds it a little frustrating that with electioneering there is no way of knowing how he is doing, although he says he has been encouraged by opinion poll showings. "It's not like a hurling or football match, you don't know the score; so I'm going to stay working like hell." He has no regrets about throwing his lot in with the PDs rather than Fine Gael.
The latter had "offered him a position", he says, but insists he had never actively considered it.
"I much prefer Mary Harney as my leader rather than Michael Noonan." He denied he had played both parties off against each other. "Mary Harney was on her honeymoon and I was in Brussels. There was never a suggestion that I was going to go to Fine Gael. In the absence of finalising the discussions with Mary, I couldn't say what I was going to do."