Once the shock [of the sudden death of Fianna Fáil TD George Colley] had passed, attention turned to the ensuing by-election to fill Colley's seat. What happened has passed into the annals of great election stories.

Haughey wanted John Stafford to be the party candidate. The Stafford family, who ran a successful undertaking business, were close personal friends of the Haugheys. John's father, Tom, had been lord mayor of Dublin. The family had a record in politics, and plenty of resources behind them.

There were two other potential candidates. As is routine in Irish politics, the family of the deceased man put one forward: Colley's widow Mary. The other was Tom Leonard, who had been a TD between 1977 and 1981 and had unsuccessfully contested the previous three general elections in Dublin Central.

Mary Colley was a reluctant candidate and, for obvious reasons, neither Haughey nor Ahern was keen on her getting the nomination. But the Ahern camp were not enthusiastic about Stafford either. They wanted Leonard. The 59-year-old ran a family business, started by his grandmother in the 19th century, in Dublin's fruit markets. A prominent footballer in his younger days, he was well known and liked in the constituency. In the markets area, it was estimated that he could pull in a guaranteed 1,600 votes.

Remembered to this day as a gentleman who was, to quote one Fianna Fáil Dublin Central politician, "too good for politics", Leonard, who died in 2004, was not regarded as "the most energetic politically". His catchphrase was "I'll come back to you on that" and he was known as Lazarus because he had been politically dead and revived so many times. The Ahern camp saw Leonard as less of a threat than Stafford, even if this put them on a collision course with the ultimate boss, Haughey.

Matters came to a head in a meeting between Haughey and the Drumcondra Mafia, in Ahern's constituency office over Fagan's, to decide who would be the chosen candidate in advance of the convention. Along with Ahern and Haughey, those present included Chris Wall, Paddy Duffy, Tony Kett, Joe Burke and Paul Kiely. Ahern had prepared his team thoroughly as to what arguments they should put to the boss in suggesting that the candidate had to be Leonard – for the party's sake, of course.

"We had to explain that Leonard was the only candidate we could ensure would get elected. Otherwise you're not going to get the seat," Duffy recalled.

It showed how far Ahern had come in just six years as a TD. He was politely but firmly laying down the law in his constituency to the party leader. Ever the pragmatist, Haughey wasn't impressed, yet had little option but to go along with his wishes – success in any by-election requires the local organisation to support the candidate. At the end of the meeting, he turned to the Ahern team and said: "I don't care who you run, including the widow, but win that f**king seat."

They adjourned to nearby Kennedy's – one of the Drumcondra Mafia's favourite watering holes – where Haughey pulled a typical stunt. With a flourish, he ordered a drink for everybody in the group, then felt, very deliberately, for his wallet. It wasn't in his pocket. He turned to Ahern and said: "I'll take a loan from you, Bertie."

Needless to say, Ahern never saw the money again. It was a "kick in the arse" from Haughey: "You got your way on this one but I'm still the boss and don't forget it". Later Ahern, reputedly never the quickest to buy a round himself, would use the same trick.