The baby of Labour's Dail group, Willie Penrose, will celebrate his 50th birthday in 12 days' time, becoming the final party deputy to reach that milestone. Labour's other spring chicken, Brendan Howlin, turned 50 in May.

By the time the party goes to the polls next year, the average age of Labour's TDs will be a venerable 59and-a-half, and over half of its TDs will be 60 or over.

Labour has been getting used to jibes from the government benches about its ageing profile, with more than one minister pointing out that it used to be predicted that "the '70s will be socialist", but now the socialists are 70.

A Labour spokesman this weekend said age "brings with it certain qualities", including wisdom and maturity, and added that the age profile of the parliamentary party would be "significantly different after the next general election".

He pointed to several of the party's general election candidates under the age of 40, including Dominic Hannigan in Meath East, Ciaran Lynch of Cork South Central, Senator Michael McCarthy in Cork South West, Terry O'Brien in Kerry North, Sean Sherlock in Cork East, Aidan Culhane in Dublin South and Colm Keaveney in Galway East.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, Willie Penrose said he was not giving his forthcoming birthday any thought whatsoever.

"You are only as old as you feel, and I don't feel old, " he said."I have been at this job since I was 13 years of age, when I was secretary of the local branch."

Penrose said all political parties were finding it more difficult to get young people involved. "There are far more alternatives nowadays, " he said. Penrose himself could have had a much more lucrative career if he had concentrated solely on his work as a barrister. Referring to the on-call nature of a politician's work and what he described as a "more invasive media", he added: "I can see why young people don't get involved".

Labour has noticeably failed to bring through new TDs since the 'Spring Tide' of 1992, which produced 18 new Dail deputies. Excluding those who joined the party from Democratic Left, just three of Labour's current TDs have been elected since that historic success at the polls 14 years ago: Mary Upton, Jan O'Sullivan and Jack Wall.

While party leader Pat Rabbitte has ruled out entering into a coalition with Fianna Fail, the age profile of senior Labour TDs, combined with the experience of a decade spent on the opposition benches, may strengthen the determination of many in the parliamentary party to consider all their options for government after the next general election.