The special offer is available only on the Friday of the race week at Ballybrit and the party has written to all its cumainn informing them that tickets are available for purchase by party members.

Those attending will get a buffet lunch and the opportunity to dance to both a band and a disco for their 75. The Fianna Fail tent was traditionally given over to Ogra Fianna Fail on the Friday, but a decision has been made to expand it to the party's membership for this year.

While numbers in the tent normally drop from the high of 400 people attending on the Wednesday and Thursday, it is expected that there now will be big demand from members for tickets on the Friday. The tickets will be sold on a 'first come, first served' basis. While the move is aimed at rewarding Fianna Fail members, it may also serve the party well in its efforts to counter opposition claims that the tent is an exclusive club for rich builders and big business.

In the Dail two weeks ago, Green Party leader Trevor Sargent asked: "What message does it send to people who ask how they are expected to afford a basic house in the Ireland of 2006 when they see Mick and Tom Bailey paying 25m to the Revenue Commissioners, which is effectively a fine, yet the Taoiseach welcomes them to the Fianna Fail tent at the Galway Races?"

Bertie Ahern dismissed suggestions about the exclusivity of the tent last year, stating that "there are hard-working tradesmen and clerical workers in there".

Fianna Fail believes that the image of the tent is totally unfair, arguing that it is a major party social occasion that has been a central component of the Galway Race week for years and encompasses people from all walks of life.

It is believed the tent raises in the region of 170,000 for the party.

However, there is a view that this is more than offset by the negative publicity it creates for Fianna Fail.