Sinn Féin says Ní Riada is ‘in it to win it’

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Sinn Féin Presidential candidate Liadh Ní Riada on the canvass in Ballina with, from left: Cllr Gerry Murray, Senator Rose Conway Walsh, Cllr Teresa Whelan, Beryl Slevin and Cllr Joe McHale.  Pic: John O’Grady

Anton McNulty

Sinn Féin Senator Rose Conway-Walsh says her party colleague and presidential candidate, Liadh Ní Riada, is ‘in it to win it’.
The Sinn Féin campaign bus called into Ballina on Saturday afternoon where their presidential candidate and local activists took to the canvassing trail. The Cork-based MEP faces an uphill battle to defeat incumbent President Michael D Higgins, with the only opinion polls to date putting the Sinn Féin candidate on seven percent.
However, despite the long odds, Mayo-based Senator Rose Conway-Walsh says that as the campaign rolls on, the public will get to know Ní Riada and identify with her.
“The main objective is to win it and build on the vote of Martin McGuinness [in the 2011 presidental election]. Liadh has made it clear why she is running … we are in it to win it,” she told The Mayo News.
“We have a fantastic candidate and Liadh is someone people will be able to identify with. She was left an orphan when she was only ten and she lost her first husband [Fiachra Ó hAodha] when she was only 29. I think it shows how resilient and determined she is and she will carry that with her to the Áras,” said Conway-Walsh.
Ms Ní Riada is the daughter of the famous composer, SeΡn Ó Riada, who composed the music for the War of Independence inspired films, Mise Éire and Saoirse?.
Senator Conway-Walsh said that she received ‘a positive reaction’ on the streets of Ballina and she hoped to return again to the county before the end of the campaign.
Since launching her campaign, Ms Ní Riada has come under considerable scrutiny over a radio interview she gave in 2016, where she expressed concerns over the HPV vaccine. She has since come out in support of the vaccine but has not stated if any of her daughters received it.
Senator Conway-Walsh supported her party colleague’s decision to seek further information on the vaccine and said it was what any mother or parent would do. She also stated that no parent should have to disclose the medical history of their children.
The Presidential election takes place on October 26 and other candidates in the race are Michael D Higgins, SeΡn Gallagher, Peter Casey, Gavin Duffy and Joan Freeman.