The decision by the Connacht-Ulster MEP, Mr Pat "The Cope" Gallagher to stand in Donegal South West in the next general election brings a predictable end to months of speculation.
The move will deal a blow, however, to the chances of the Independent TD, Mr Tom Gildea, of retaining his seat from his own base 16 miles away in Glenties.
The Dungloe man's move should ensure that the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, recovers the second seat in the constituency that should never have been lost, in the view of party figures.
A formidable constituency operator, Mr Gallagher has not lost touch with his home area since he decided to stand down as a TD before the 1997 general election.
If anything, Mr Gallagher always seemed more comfortable as a TD and local councillor than an MEP in the often-byzantine corridors of Brussels and Strasbourg.
Announcing his candidature, the former minister of State said he hoped to recapture the second seat lost when Senator Enda Bonner failed to carry the party's standard to victory in 1997.
Then, Fianna Fáil's share of the vote fell by 10.5 per cent to just 38 per cent, while Fine Gael had just 23 per cent in the face of Mr Gildea's surprise victory.
Yesterday Mr Gallagher said: "I was born and bred into Fianna Fáil. I feel that Bertie Ahern needs to win marginal seats like this to ensure his return to office". The phraseology used raises suspicions, or hopes locally, that he has got or at least demanded, a guarantee of ministerial preferment if Fianna Fáil gets back into power.
He has met Mr Ahern on several occasions to discuss his political future over recent months, most recently just a month ago.
However, he is unlikely to be "on a promise".
First, the Taoiseach rarely if ever answers any question so clearly, while Mr Gildea's loyalty to the Government has not gone unnoticed either.
Third, the county is well represented at senior levels. e Donegal North East TD, Dr Jim McDaid, is Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, while his Donegal South-West colleague, Ms Mary Coughlan, is Minister of State for the Gaeltacht.
Despite Mr Gallagher's return, Mr Gildea cannot be written off: "He is far cuter than people realise. He has been given some of the credit at least for delivering things to the constituency in recent years," said one source.
In addition, the attack on the former Fine Gael deputy leader, Mrs Nora Owen, may have earned him nothing but opprobrium nationally, but it did him little harm within his own camp.
Still, some argue that a Killybegs-based Independent councillor, Mr Thomas Pringle, who has impressed since his election in 1999, could damage, or even threaten, the rarely vocal Mr Gildea's hold on the seat.
"Pringle is very different to Gildea. He has more issues. He would be much more difficult to satisfy than Gildea, much harder for Fianna Fáil to do business with after an election," commented one local journalist.
Hugely energetic, Mr Gallagher (53) is already lobbying hard for support in advance of the constituency's selection convention on January 27th.
He will remain as an MEP if he returns to the Dáil until the next European election, as does Labour's Mr Proinsias De Rossa and the Fine Gael Leinster MEP, Ms Avril Doyle, who still holds a Seanad seat.
"I will abide by established practices. I have enjoyed the job, but I have never lost touch with Donegal and with local matters. If I had dealt exclusively with European issues, my job would have been entirely different. But I get great satisfaction from helping people," he told The Irish Times.
His return to the scene will do little for the re-election hopes of the Fine Gael TD, Mr Dinny McGinley, since they share some of the same political turf in the western part of the constituency.
In addition, Mr McGinley has to contend with the re-emergence into political life of Mr Jim White, who held the FG seat for a decade until he stood down in the early 1980s.
For now, Independent Fianna Fáil (IFF) has indicated that it will contest the election, though it will be far more barren ground following Mr Gallagher's return.
In 1997 transfers from the Blaneyite camp - which will have to battle to hold on to its Donegal North East seat - played a key role in bringing Mr Gildea to victory without reaching the quota on the sixth count.
In addition, the Sinn Féin influence on the election is hard to predict.
Currently, it intends to run two candidates, Mr Pierce Doherty and Mr Tom Dignam. Neither has much of a profile. However, the campaign has yet to be fought.
