IF THE old saying about every great man having a great woman behind him is still relevant in this day and age, then Enda Kenny would appear to be at least halfway to fulfilling what Fine Gael believes to be his political destiny.

Carlsberg don't do political spouses but, if they did, Fionnuala Kenny would surely be the prototype.

Attractive, warm, intelligent, funny, supportive, self-effacing and savvy (all terms used by people contacted for this profile), the one-time Fianna Fail press officer was an undoubted hit of the Fine Gael ardfheis last weekend.

The party's decision to eschew the normal post-speech scrum around the leader with just Fionnuala joining her husband on the podium . . . combined with a pre-recorded conference interview with the couple and a joint appearance on TV3's The Political Party . . . prompted speculation that Fine Gael was planning a US presidential style campaign with Fionnuala filling the role of prospective first lady.

That is unlikely to be the case. While there will be some public appearances here and there between now and election day, Fine Gael sources say that Fionnuala will certainly not be glued to her husband's shoulder during the campaign.

Independent observers concur, believing that it would be a mistake to overplay the 'first lady card' as it could simply end up being a distraction. "Enda and Fine Gael need to get elected, not Fionnuala, " said one respected political analyst.

And, according to those who know her, Fionnuala Kenny would be the last person to want that role.

"She won't want it to go any further than it has. She is an extremely private person, " said one close observer, adding that although she is highly intelligent and knows the media inside out, she wouldn't be as comfortable in front of the camera as she was when pulling the strings for Fianna Fail behind it. Fionnuala Kenny, herself, emphasised last weekend that her role was to make sure her husband didn't have to worry about the family at home.

But there is little question that her presence at his side in public every now and then reflects well on her husband and in a battle against the most popular politician of the past 30 years, Enda Kenny needs all the help he can get.

Not that there is anything particularly orchestrated about her increasingly prominent role of late. Like most good political ideas, it has largely come about by chance. Fionnuala Kenny earned a few rare headlines late last year when she made a speech at a Fine Gael women's lunch warning about the dangers of Ireland becoming a one-party state. On the back of this, Matt Cooper, presenter of the hugely popular Today FM drivetime show The Last Word, persuaded Fine Gael and the Kennys to agree to a joint interview with Enda and Fionnuala. "She was very impressive; a very nice woman; very intelligent and self effacing. Very supportive, but not in any way showing off, " recalls Cooper. The audience clearly agreed and there was an enormously positive reaction to the interview.

The feedback has been similarily good from last weekend's appearences. It is generally accepted that Enda Kenny made one of the better speeches of his political career last weekend, but for most people the enduring image will be Fionnuala affectionately patting him on the back as he basked in the applause of the party faithful.

Ardfheiseanna, of course, are nothing new to Fionnuala Kenny. As a senior Fianna Fail press officer for much of the 1980s when Charlie Haughey was leader, she would have been closely involved in their organisation. Her efficiency, common sense, political nous and organisation skills are recalled by those who worked with her at the time. She was number two to the legendary PJ Mara, but there are those who believe her role was no less important than the larger-thanlife Mara. No job was too big or too small, one close observer said, recalling that Fionnuala O'Kelly . . . as she was then . . . once cut Bertie Ahern's hair immediately prior to him taking the stage at an ardfheis address rather than let him go out in a bedraggled state.

"She had no sense of prestige.

She did what needed to be done, " the source added admiringly.

However, O'Kelly's commitment to Fianna Fail was soon to be tested by something much more powerful than any political cause.

The "spectacularly beautiful" O'Kelly was spotted by a young Mayo TD while distributing press releases in the press gallery.

The story goes that when she glanced down at the Fine Gael benches, her future husband winked up at her. Some time later, after a particularly bad day at the office, she happened to be in the same company as Kenny while having a drink after work. She and Enda got on famously. "He made her laugh. He pulled her out of her misery of that day and she realised that he was a really interesting guy, " one source says. Although they came from opposite sides of the country . . . Fionnuala grew up in Clontarf . . . they also had quite a bit in common. For starters, their fathers had both been on All Ireland football championship winning sides . . . Fionnuala's dad, who went on to become secretary of the Department of Post and Telegraphs, with Kerry and Enda's father Henry with Mayo.

Despite theirs being a love across the civil war divide, the romance didn't cause any particular stir in Leinster House.

"Nobody cared in the slightest, " recalled one Fianna Fail insider. However, by the time they married in 1992, Fionnuala was well ensconsed in RTE where she had been appointed director of public affairs. It was a difficult period for RTE, with money being particularly tight. And there is a view that the RTE job suited her less than the role she had with Fianna Fail but, with her track record and experience, a lucrative career in corporate PR loomed. "She could be the top of any PR company today, " one friend says.

Instead, she opted to give it all up to move to Castlebar with her husband.

While the move flabbergasted some onlookers, friends say it was exactly what they would have expected. "Fionnuala is totally committed to whatever she is doing. She knew the reality when she married Enda. She also loves the country, " one said.

"She is such an earth mother and she is very much in charge of everything in the home, " another said.

Unusually in political life, nobody has a bad word to say about Fionnuala Kenny . . .

everybody contacted refers to her intelligence, charm, sense of fun and her loyalty to her friends. There is admiration for the way that she has declined to take the politically expedient option of disowning her former boss, CJH. Those who know her say that while she wouldn't in any way condone his failings, she always got on well with Haughey and would be "very faithful" to that friendship. It is understood that she called to see Haughey on a number of occasions during his final years.

"She has a niceness you just don't expect, " says one aquaintance. "If you're in trouble or you have three kids to unload, Fionnuala is the woman you would go to."

Don't be too surprised if Fine Gael do likewise over the coming eight weeks.

C.V.

Born: Clontarf, Dublin
Married to: Enda Kenny. Three children, Aoibhinn (14) and two sons, Ferdia (12) and Naoise (10)
Profession: former head of government information services and director of public affairs at RTE; now runs the Kenny household in Castlebar
In the news because: She joined her husband on the podium after his keynote address to the Fine Gael ardfheis and for a joint interview on TV3