Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald says her party’s candidate in the Galway West bye-election is able to speak Gaeilge and believes he will participate in Irish language interviews and candidate debates.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in members in south Conamara had expressed their dissatisfaction with Mark Lohan’s candidature due his lack of fluency in Gaeilge.<\/p>\n
The Galway West bye-election is being held to fill the D\u00e1il seat vacated by President Catherine Connolly, a gaeilgeoir and former chair of the Oireachtas Gaeltacht committee.<\/p>\n
Galway West is the D\u00e1il constituency with the the largest Gaeltacht in the country.<\/p>\n
“Ta Gaeilge ag Mark Lohan. N\u00edl s\u00e9 l\u00edofa. Credim go mbeidh s\u00e9 in ann d\u00edosp\u00f3ireacht agus agallamh a dh\u00e9anamh,” Ms McDonald told RT\u00c9’s The Week in Politics.<\/p>\n
(Mark has Irish. He is not fluent. I believe he will be able to participate in debates and interviews.)<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in already holds a seat in Galway West with Mair\u00e9ad Farrell – a fluent Gaeilgeoir who topped the poll in the last General Election after securing a substantial vote in Conamara.<\/p>\n
She previously acknowledged to RT\u00c9 Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta that the party’s bye-election candidate is not ‘l\u00edofa sa Ghaeilge’.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald said her party has a huge commitment to Gaeilge and wishes to tackle the housing crisis in the Gaeltacht.<\/p>\n
There are expected to be at least three Irish-speaking candidates on the ballot paper; Fine Gael’s Sean Kyne, M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich of the Social Democrats and Aont\u00fa’s Orla Nugent.<\/p>\n
President Connolly pulled big votes among Irish speakers as did Fianna F\u00e1il’s \u00c9amon \u00d3 Cu\u00edv prior to his retirement at the last election. The destination of these votes could well be important in shaping the contest.<\/p>\n
It is unclear whether are enough Irish speaking candidates for RT\u00c9’s Radi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta and TG4’s Nuacht to hold candidate debates.<\/p>\n
Fianna F\u00e1il is fielding Cillian Keane while Noel Thomas of Independent Ireland will also be on the ballot.<\/p>\n
Helen Ogbu is the Labour Party candidate, while Niall Murphy represents the Green Party.<\/p>\n
Denman Rooke is running for People Before Profit, while AJ Cahill represents the The Irish People.<\/p>\n
Independent candidates include Mike Cubbard, Sheila Garrity and Thomas Welby.<\/p>\n
Nominations close at midday on Friday.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald has also intimated she feels secure in her position as leader, adding how the decision on who leads the party rests exclusively with Sinn F\u00e9in members who re-elected her to the role yesterday.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald had fielded questions at her party’s Ard Fheis yesterday over her continuing role at the helm of Sinn F\u00e9in.<\/p>\n
She acknowledged the party has faced challenges but insisted her focus would be on upcoming elections on both sides of the border as well to be “fighting fit” for the next General Election.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald also claimed the Government’s response to the rising cost of living “wasn’t good enough”.<\/p>\n