TAOISEACH Brian Cowen will lavish praise on his "Herculean" predecessor Bertie Ahern at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis.

As Mr Cowen prepares to take the reins at the Fianna Fail shindig in CityWest Hotel for the first time this weekend, he has penned a glowing tribute to Mr Ahern.

He will commend him for his "Herculean commitment" to politics and describe his pride at taking over from such a leader.

Mr Cowen will also tell supporters that the former Fianna Fail leader is owed "a great debt of gratitude".

Mr Ahern has had little problem pointing out that there was "no great concern" about the economy when he handed over the keys of Leinster House to Mr Cowen last May, but it seems Mr Cowen hasn't taken it personally.

Last year, the Drumcondra TD told the Herald: "It was from June on that the real problems started."

But tomorrow, the Taoiseach will tell grassroot Fianna Fail supporters that it is "a real privilege for me to lead this Party and to follow in the footsteps of the great Fianna Fail leaders who have gone before".

He will then single out Mr Ahern, saying: "I want to sincerely thank Bertie Ahern TD for his Herculean commitment during his leadership of the party.

"We all owe him a great debt of gratitude and we congratulate him on his many achievements."

Crisis

The short welcome note also outlines how we are "in the midst of a severe global economic crisis".

And Mr Cowen will repeat buzz phrases such as "strong leadership" and "unflinching leadership" in an attempt to rouse Fianna Fail supporters.

Mr Cowen writes: "The unfortunate reality is that the economic circumstances of this country, and indeed the world, have changed considerably since we last held an Ard Fheis in March 2007.

"The global fiscal picture is unlike anything anyone of this generation has encountered before. Our national economy is suffering but then so is practically every economy in the world."

Adopting an Obama style, Mr Cowen signs off saying: "As Taoiseach, I am convinced that if we can all pull together as a community, make a determined national effort and accept that sacrifices will have to be made by us all for the greater good, we will get our economy back on track.

"If we all work together, then we will secure Ireland's future."

The short welcome note is a prequel to Mr Cowen's Ard Fheis speech, which will be televised live on Saturday night.

The speech is already being described as a defining moment in Mr Cowen's career as he has an open platform to seek public support after recent disastrous poll results.

His script will focus on the economic crisis as Mr Cowen attempts to convince voters that "taking the right decisions now and the resolute action of this Government will see Ireland ready to benefit when the inevitable upsurge takes place in the world economy".

kdoyle@herald.ie

- Kevin Doyle