Sinn Féin leader to launch party’s Mayo manifesto in Castlebar

MARY Lou McDonald, President of Sinn Féin, will travel to Castlebar to launch her party’s Mayo manifesto, it has been confirmed. 

Deputy McDonald will attend tomorrow’s launch in the TF Royal Hotel & Theatre in Castlebar to launch Leading the Change in Mayo, with the party’s Mayo general election candidates Gerry Murray and Rose Conway-Walsh. 

Deputy Conway-Walsh, who is her party’s spokesperson on public expenditure, is seeking to retain her seat after nearly topping the poll in the 2020 general election. 

Cllr Murray, who stood unsuccessfully in the 2007 general election as the party’s sole Mayo candidate, was added to the party’s ticket in recent weeks. The Charlestown-based representative comfortably retained his council seat in the June local elections. 

In a joint statement, Cllr Murray and Deputy Conway-Walsh said that ‘serving the people of Mayo has been a profound honour for both of us’.

They said that Mayo requires ‘much greater investment in our key public services’ including health, housing transport and infrastructure. 

A total of 16 candidates have so far declared they are running in the upcoming general election. 

Former Sinn Féin member, Michelle Smith, has told The Mayo News that she will not be contesting the election. 

Ms Smith rose to public prominence when she led a protest against the occupation of a Ballinrobe hotel by 50 male asylum seekers in January. She subsequently ran unsuccessfully as an Independent candidate in the European elections.