While sitting TD Peter Kelly stands unopposed in the Longford end of the constituency, one of the most intense political battles in years will reach boiling point in Westmeath when the leader of the Seanad challenges the millionaire showband tycoon.

O'Rourke and Cassidy are vying for nominations at the party convention in the Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar next Sunday.

One of the shocks of the 2002 general election occurred when O'Rourke was ousted from her seat by her runningmate Donie Cassidy after an attempt to take two FF seats backfired. There has been bad blood between the pair ever since.

O'Rourke maintains that her chances of getting elected in 2002 were slashed after election gurus in Dublin decided to cut her territory to just 32% of the constituency. She feels she faced an impossible battle after the constituency carve-up as she believed there was only one Fianna Fail seat in the constituency.

Her subsequent seat loss led to her criticising the party's election management strategy, and a deep divide developed between her and taoiseach Bertie Ahern for some time.

Cassidy had been a senator for over 20 years and was only elevated to the Dail after the 2002 election.

O'Rourke told the Sunday Tribune she was relishing next Sunday's convention battle.

"I think the constituency needs a strong authoritative voice and I am up for it, " she said. "I have worked very hard for the people of Westmeath in the past and I know I have the ability to do it again in the future. I have been heartened by the good welcome I am getting from delegates."

Following last year's Boundary Commission review, O'Rourke will be looking for selection in a new four-seater constituency.

Fianna Fail recently opened a new constituency office in Athlone and . . . as well as the perennial rivalry between O'Rourke and Cassidy . . .

Athlone-based taxi driver Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has also thrown his name into the Westmeath convention hat.

While he has no experience of national politics, he enjoys huge popularity in Athlone and a number of his party colleagues have publicly stated that they will give him the nod ahead of O'Rourke at the convention. "I have canvassed all the delegates in the constituency and it is going to be a big challenge for me to take the seat as I am seen as the dark horse, " said Moran (37).

"Even though I have a huge challenge against Mary O'Rourke, who has been in politics for so long, I am confident enough. I have topped the poll in two local elections so I have a mandate to run for the Dail and I feel Athlone needs a change. Athlone has been ignored as there has been no TD here since the 2002 election. The taoiseach has said he wants young blood in the Dail and I fit that bill."

Donie Cassidy said that he had not seen anything like "the excitement, anticipation and energy that has gone into this convention in 50 years."

It has been mooted locally that Sunday's convention will only select one election candidate for Westmeath and that party headquarters will select the other to counter the geographical imbalance of having two candidates from the same area. It therefore seems likely the convention would select Cassidy and either O'Rourke or Moran as his running mate to avoid having two candidates from Athlone.

However, a spokesman at FF headquarters said: "Party strategy for selecting the Westmeath candidates has yet to be decided." Cassidy told theSunday Tribune: "it is important that Fianna Fail hold two of the seats in the constituency or else Bertie Ahern will not be returned as taoiseach in the next government."

Tagged the 'Group of Death' the Longford/Westmeath constituency could deliver unprecedented results in the next general election with up to four Oireachtas members possibly losing out. Five TDs (Peter Kelly, Donie Cassidy, Paul McGrath, Willie Penrose and Mae Sexton) and two senators, Mary O'Rourke and James Bannon, are all expected to seek nominations in the four-seat constituency.