Established politicians in Kilkenny are casting a wary eye on a first-time independent candidate who could cause a surprise in both the county council and corporation elections.
Ms Teresa Mullen, a 58-year-old widow and grandmother who has just completed her second-year BA exams, is on the campaign trail for the first time.
Ms Mullen has gained a high profile in the city in recent years through her work with the Prevent Poverty Action Group, which she founded in late 1995. The group campaigns on a range of issues affecting those on low incomes and social welfare.
While many of the issues raised, such as the failure to increase the £5 fuel allowance, are in the province of national Government, she insists that local authorities could do more to assist the less-well-off.
Ms Mullen says her initial aim was to highlight these issues, and getting a seat would have been "a real bonus". The reaction to her campaign had convinced her, however, that she was in with a real chance of being elected.
One of six independent candidates seeking a seat on Kilkenny Corporation, she has a strong chance of being elected, according to independent observers.
Political party sources say Ms Mullen has less chance of success in the county council poll.
But her chances of taking one of the seven seats in Kilkenny city are not being discounted.
