The Mayo Fianna Fáil Dáil Ceanntair is planning to bring delegates to a meeting before Easter to plan 'a rising' with a difference in the aftermath of last February's devastating election result.
While the re-election of Dara Calleary and the credible showing by new Castlebar candidate Lisa Chambers provided a ray of hope in a generally glooming climate for the organisation, nothing can paper over the cracks of a shattering and demoralising decline.
Loyal members of the party who still retain an appetite for instigating a patient revival scarcely need to be reminded of the damning statistics.

Based on the most recent assessment of the party's standing, graphically portrayed in the 2011 general election, the level of support for Fianna Fáil stands at an all-time low of 16 per cent.
A strong argument can be made against the statistic in view of the organisation being only in a position to field an understrength team in the contest.
More encouraging perhaps is the data from the last local elections in 2009 when Fianna Fáil registered a 30 per cent share.
Although it represented a drop of seven per cent since the previous local elections in 2004, it is a rating on which a revival could be built despite it resulting in the loss of five seats on Mayo County Council, two seats on Castlebar Town Council and one seat on Ballina and Westport town councils.

The degree of support in the Swinford electoral area was particularly heartening. At 39 per cent, it was seven points greater than Fine Gael, albeit Fine Gael winning two seats compared to just one by Fianna Fáil.
It was astonishing the party did not seek to capitalise on such a trend-busting pocket in February's general election but circumstances dictated otherwise.
The percentage breakdown for the party in the other five electoral areas in 2009 was Ballina (30%), Belmullet (29%), Castlebar (30%), Claremorris (29%) and Westport (27%).
As it stands, Fianna Fáil holds one seat on each of the six electoral areas except Castlebar where it has two.

In the circumstances, one would expect Fianna Fáil to be bidding to double its representation in Belmullet, Claremorris, Swinford and Westport and possibly taking three seats in Castlebar and Ballina for an overall tally of 14.
It can justifiably be dismissed as a tall target, but it is achievable if the party gets its act together and devises a proper strategy in each area.
The disastrous candidate placement policy in Claremorris or the absence of a strict vote transfer procedure in Swinford cannot be repeated.

Control
Most of all, however, the selection of candidates by interview process has to be ditched with the responsibility handed back to grassroots members before formal ratification of candidates takes place.
Fianna Fáil could also do worse than taking a leaf out of Fine Gael's blueprint for recovery instigated by Deputy Enda Kenny following his appointment as party leader in 2002.
However, the challenge facing Fianna Fáil in Mayo is ever greater that it was when Deputy Kenny fought his first local elections in his native county in 2004 in his new role.
At least his party had 13 outgoing councillors on Mayo County Council at the time. . .six more than Fianna Fáil currently holds on the authority.

What was most interesting about Fine Gael wrestling control of the authority away from Fianna Fáil in 2004, however, was the success in getting eight new members elected, seven of whom were facing the electorate for the first time.
If Fianna Fáil is going to turn its fortunes around in the county, then the renaissance must be spearheaded by new faces with no connection to the old ways.
Aspirants like Lisa Chambers, Michael Smyth, and Henry Cleary are certain to be given the chance.

It can be taken for granted that a number of the outgoing seven will announce their retirements before the 2014 campaign, further reducing the party's prospects of increasing its representation on the council.
There is speculation that Councillor Al McDonnell, Councillor Jimmy Maloney and Councillor Margaret Adams are considering their positions while Councillor Annie May Reape, Councillor Damian Ryan, Councillor Michéal McNamara and Councillor Blackie Gavin will definitely in the field.
If the target is to win 14 seats, then the need to identify candidates and develop their profiles from an early stage is crucial.
Fianna Fáil has held meetings in a number of electoral areas in preparation for the proposed Easter summit.
And the fact changes are likely to be made to the existing electoral area boundaries before the 2014 election cannot be allowed to deflect attention from the rebuilding process.