Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Sinn Féin, has said the party’s candidate in the Galway West by-election can speak Gaeilge and she expects him to take part in Irish-language interviews and debates.
Some Sinn Féin members in south Conamara had voiced frustration with Mark Lohan’s selection, citing his limited fluency in Gaeilge, reports RTE.
The Galway West by-election is being held to fill the Dáil seat vacated by President Catherine Connolly, a Gaeilgeoir and former chair of the Oireachtas Gaeltacht committee.
Galway West is the Dáil constituency that contains the largest Gaeltacht region in the country, reports RTE.
“Ta Gaeilge ag Mark Lohan. Níl sé líofa. Credim go mbeidh sé in ann díospóireacht agus agallamh a dhéanamh,” Ms McDonald told RTÉ’s The Week in Politics,
(Mark has Irish. He is not fluent. I believe he will be able to participate in debates and interviews.), reports RTE.
Sinn Féin already holds a seat in Galway West through Mairéad Farrell, a fluent Gaeilgeoir who topped the poll in the most recent General Election with strong backing in Conamara.
She had earlier told RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta that the party’s by-election candidate is not ‘líofa sa Ghaeilge’, reports RTE.
Ms McDonald said the party remains strongly committed to the Irish language and is determined to address the housing crisis in Gaeltacht areas.
At least three Irish-speaking candidates are expected on the ballot, including Sean Kyne of Fine Gael, Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich of the Social Democrats, and Orla Nugent representing Aontú, reports RTE.
President Connolly previously attracted strong support from Irish-speaking voters, as did Éamon Ó Cuív of Fianna Fáil before retiring at the last election, and where those votes now go could prove decisive.
It remains uncertain whether there are enough Irish-speaking candidates for debates to be held by RTÉ’s Raidió na Gaeltachta and TG4’s Nuacht, reports RTE.
Fianna Fáil is running Cillian Keane, while Noel Thomas of Independent Ireland will also contest the seat.
Helen Ogbu is standing for the Labour Party, and Niall Murphy is representing the Green Party, reports RTE.
Denman Rooke is contesting for People Before Profit, while AJ Cahill is representing The Irish People.
Among the independent candidates are Mike Cubbard, Sheila Garrity, and Thomas Welby, reports RTE.
Nominations are set to close at midday on Friday.
Ms McDonald also suggested she is confident in her role as leader, stating that the question of leadership lies solely with party members, who re-elected her yesterday, reports RTE.
She faced questions about her leadership at the party’s Ard Fheis, where her continued position at the head of Sinn Féin was discussed.
She admitted the party has encountered difficulties but said her attention is on upcoming elections across the island and ensuring readiness for the next General Election, reports RTE.
Ms McDonald also argued that the Government’s handling of the rising cost of living “wasn’t good enough”.
She repeated her party’s proposals for reductions in the Universal Social Charge and the introduction of an immediate disability cost payment, saying the “seeds of people’s anger goes back to last October’s Budget”, reports RTE.
Ms McDonald also dismissed claims by the Labour Party’s Alan Kelly that Sinn Féin’s tax policies amount to “voodoo economics”.
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