Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald will attend a function in Dublin tonight to honour Peter Prendergast, the man who played a key role in steering Fine Gael to its greatest ever election success in 1982 after revolutionising the party organisation.
Mr Prendergast, who was an unsuccessful Fine Gael candidate in Dublin South East in 1973 and 1977, was appointed general secretary of the party by Garret FitzGerald when he took over the leadership after the disastrous 1977 general election.
Mr Prendergast, who had experience in business and marketing, introduced sweeping changes in the party organisation between 1977 and 1981 that transformed Fine Gael into the most professional party organisation in the country.
One of the key decisions he made was to appoint a party organiser in each constituency who would be responsible for maximising the party vote and gaining extra seats. The organisers were independent of the sitting Fine Gael TDs and helped new, talented individuals to challenge for seats.
The results were dramatic. In 1981 Fine Gael gained 22 seats for a total of 65. The party's share of the vote increased again in both of the 1982 elections, leaving it with 70 seats on a vote share of 39 per cent in the November 1982 election.
The party came within five seats of Fianna Fáil, which was led at the time by Charles Haughey. It was the best result in Fine Gael's history.
Mr Prendergast was asked to take over as government press secretary to Dr FitzGerald's second Fine Gael-Labour coalition in December 1982, and he served in that position for the next four years.
He was appointed as a senior official with the European Commission in 1986 and remained in that position for over a decade until his retirement.
Tonight's function, which will be held in the Berkeley Court Hotel in Dublin, is taking place at the instigation of the constituency organisers put in place by Mr Prendergast during his time as party general secretary.
A presentation will be made to Mr Prendergast at the function, which will be attended by many of the people who worked with him to transform the party.
Dr FitzGerald, with whom he worked closely, and the current party leader, Mr Kenny, will both pay tribute to Mr Prendergast's work for the party.
