Fianna Fáil has denied that a rift has developed between party headquarters and the Galway West constituency over fundraising during Galway race week.
A function organised by the local constituency organisation next Tuesday night had the "full support" of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and party headquarters, a spokeswoman for the party told The Irish Times.
A number of Ministers would be attending the function in the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway city, and it was "very likely" that the Taoiseach would attend, a spokeswoman said. It was "absolute rubbish" to suggest that it did not have national support, she said.
"We welcome initiatives by constituencies like this as we are going into an election year. This is two people in the west being mischievous and we know who they are," she said.
Mr Ahern had "endorsed" the event and had encouraged party colleagues at national and local level to attend.
Party sources in Galway West told The Irish Times yesterday that there had been some "differences of opinion" over the €15 a head function, which is a new addition to the Galway race week calendar and which aims to raise money for the constituency, rather than for the national organisation. Galway West recently invested funds in securing four seats in the Údarás na Gaeltachta elections.
A report for the Galway West constituency presented to the Taoiseach in late June had expressed concern about a "sense of elitism" created by the Fianna Fáil tent at Ballybrit racecourse, and had recommended that party headquarters "review this event and look at ways to make it more open and inclusive".
The report, which was compiled by a group chaired by Nicholas Ó Conchubhair, also examined structures, membership, communication, election strategy, and lack of consultation by the organisation's "upper levels" with the general body of membership - an oblique reference to the row over Seán O'Neachtain's candidacy for the European elections.
Speaking to The Irish Times at the report's publication on June 24th, the Taoiseach denied that the Fianna Fáil tent was elitist and said that the party depended on race week as one of five key annual fundraising events.
