His departure follows the retirement earlier this year of Pat Magnier, the party's national organiser, and Fergus Finlay's resignation last year as chef de cabinet. Both Cahill and Finlay were specifically recruited by Pat Rabbitte as part of his team of advisers in Leinster House.

Cahill yesterday described his departure as being by "mutual agreement" although there was some surprise in party circles given the closeness of the general election. A former RTE journalist, Cahill has held senior public relations positions with AIB and Intel. He also worked as programme manager to David Andrews when he was a Fianna Fail minister in the mid-'90s.

Cahill will now provide media training for Labour's election candidates as part of his consultancy arrangement with the party. He said he also plans to develop the "commercial possibilities" of his GAA website, An Fear Rua, one of the most popular interest sites in Ireland.

There was better news for Labour this weekend with the decision of Kerry South TD Breeda Moynihan-Cronin to change her mind about contesting the next election.

Twelve months ago, Moynihan-Cronin said she planned to stand down due to ill-health.

Yesterday she said that having returned to full health she had decided to run again considering Labour's need to hold a seat in the constituency.

The party had struggled to find a credible replacement in Kerry South while talks with a local independent councillor were unsuccessful. At the last election, Fianna Fail's John O'Donoghue topped the poll while Moynihan-Cronin and Independent Jackie Healy-Rae filled the other seats.