Fine Gael will be asked to provide election experts to fill places on the President's campaign team, following Mrs McAleese's decision to seek another seven-year term.
Launching her campaign yesterday, Mrs McAleese said she was nominating herself as an independent candidate, as she is entitled to do, even though she ran with Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats support in 1997.
Questioned by The Irish Times following the press conference, the President's spokeswoman said they would be seeking to have Fine Gael people actively involved in the campaign.
In reply, Fine Gael said: "If she was to come looking to Fine Gael for support then we would give that due consideration and, given everything said so far, we would be happy to say, 'Yes'."
Privately, Fine Gael is quite pleased that Mr Kenny's decision not to run a candidate has been vindicated, pointing to the difficulties now facing the Labour Party following Green Party TD Mr Éamon Ryan's decision to seek a nomination.
However, the party spokesman made it clear that the decision would not be changed, regardless of whether Mr Ryan is nominated by 20 Independent Oireachtas members, by the Labour Party, or by a combination.
Welcoming the prospect of an election battle for the Áras, Mrs McAleese, who was joined by her husband, Martin, declared. "I am up and ready for an election campaign. I don't have an election fundraising campaign in place and I don't have an election team yet in place, that's going to happen really from now.
"We will start to put that together.
"It's going to be an independent campaign so we are going to need funds," she went on. Questioned about her independent tag, during a 40-minute press conference, she replied: "It would be incorrect to say I am not seeking Fianna Fáil backing. I have said I will be looking for widespread support."
Welcoming Fine Gael's support, she said: "I would be very encouraged, for example, over recent times by the kind of things that Enda Kenny has been saying."
Mr Kenny confirmed yesterday that Fine Gael would not put forward a candidate and would not support any other candidate seeking a nomination.
"I believe that Mary McAleese has done an excellent job in the past seven years . . . She has represented her office and all the people at home and abroad with great dignity and integrity and in a way which has made the Irish people justifiably proud of her," said Mr Kenny.
In 1997, the director of elections for her campaign was the current Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, while her election agent was Minister of State, Mr Brian Lenihan.
Public relations expert, Ms Eileen Gleeson; Mr Martin Mackin, then serving as FF general secretary; and Mr Pat Farrell, who now works with the Irish Bankers' Federation, were other key figures in the campaign.
Ms Gleeson, who has worked with the President during her seven years, will take unpaid leave immediately to work on the election campaign, while Mr Farrell will also be involved.
Bank of Ireland governor, Mr Laurence Crowley, has already offered his support to the campaign, while other senior cross-party figures are expected to come forward in coming days.
