Rapid rise for North Tipperary candidate Alan Kelly

WHEN he came from virtually nowhere to win the nomination to contest a seat for Labour in the European Parliament in 2009, Alan Kelly told party members he would run "the most professional campaign you have ever seen".

As his pledge suggested, he is not a politician known for doing things by half, particularly when it comes to ambition. Possessed of confidence that rivals sometimes characterise as arrogance, Kelly is a man who knows what he wants and usually achieves it, helped by what his colleagues describe as “master” electioneering skills.

And so it was no surprise to many that, just three years after becoming a TD, he was elected deputy leader of his party.