Fine Gael TDs and Senators gathered in Galway this afternoon for the first of the pre-season political meetings ahead of the new Dáil term, which opens later this month.
The party is discussing strategy as Enda Kenny prepares to announce a new front bench.
The regeneration of Fine Gael under Enda Kenny was impressive but did not dislodge Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach.
The party will now assess how they build on that performance as they face into another five years in opposition - a depressing prospect for some senior front benchers.
They will be discussing strategy for a Dáil that will see the party operating independently of Labour, whose new leader Éamon Gilmore has indicated renewing the pre-election alliance is not among his priorities.
New TDs though may be more focused on Mr Kenny's impending frontbench reshuffle in which many of them hope to feature as Fine Gael prepares to put a fresh face forward for the new Dáil term.
Speaking in Galway, Mr Kenny told his TDs and senators that the task for the next election was to make Fine Gael the largest party in the Dáil.
In five years time the only question for electors would be whether they wanted a Government lead by Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, and he said he hoped they would choose definitively for his party.
