Former taoiseach

Liam Cosgrave

made a rare public appearance yesterday to campaign for

Fine Gael

European election candidate Senator

Deirdre Clune

.

Ms Clune, who is running for the European Parliament in the sprawling South constituency, explained that her father, Peter Barry, who was minister for foreign affairs during the 1980s, was "quite friendly with Liam, and had a long history with him".

She had met Mr Cosgrave before the campaign in Dublin "and he offered to help if I wanted him to do something.Because his own father [WT Cosgrave] was elected from here originally there was a suggestion that we come and meet and take a photograph in Kilkenny Castle."

Campaign workers
Mr Cosgrave (94) arrived in the Marble City at 12.30pm, and was greeted by Ms Clune, some local council candidates and campaign workers. After photographs were taken, it was back into the car with the former taoiseach as he politely declined a word with the media.

The candidate spoke about an opinion poll which put her neck-and-neck in joint second place with the presumed Fine Gael frontrunner Seán Kelly.

“I wasn’t surprised because I’m getting a good reaction . . . but at the same time you never know. I don’t comment on polls, just keep going, because they can do you. You can get a good poll and a bad poll.”

Ms Clune continued her canvass in Co Kilkenny and Co Waterford, before returning last night to Cork. The secret to canvassing such a large constituency? “Eat the dinner in the middle of the day – that’s the golden rule!”