Longford candidate highlights unease with Mary Lou McDonald’s leadership as Sinn Féin start soul searching

Sinn Féin are still waiting to take that elusive council seat in Co. Longford.

The late Sean Lynch held a seat for Republican Sinn Fein up until 2009 in North Longford.

He had previously held a seat for Sinn Fein itself. However, Lynch was a traditional republican and in the Mary Lou McDonald era, the party has been unable to get a representative on Longford County Council.

The SF candidate who polled the strongest in Co. Longford, John Rooney (Ballymahon LEA) has cast doubts on McDonald’s leadership.

“On the doors, I met people who were not happy with our leader (Mary Lou McDonald). Some people were happy with her. There were mixed reactions to her. Some people indicated that a change of leadership was required,” he stated.

It’s a frustrating outcome for Sinn Fein in Co. Longford, but is also in line with the downturn they experienced nationally in both the Local and European elections.

This is despite the fact that Sorca Clarke polled 3,500 first preferences in Co. Longford on her way to getting elected as a TD in 2020.

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John Rooney, fared best, with 562 first preferences. It was a creditable showing for a first time candidate.

The Edgeworthstown man was bidding to become the first councillor based in the town since Tom Victory of Fianna Fáil a decade ago.

Also read: How you voted in Ballymahon municipal district: Two recounts and two big name casualties in gruelling Battle of Ballymahon

“There has been no representation in Edgeworthstown for 10 years. Edgeworthstown is not getting the funding that the likes of Ballymahon has been getting,” Rooney told the Leader at the election count in Edgeworthstown.

“Edgeworthstown is getting left behind,” he added.

The fact that Longford’s second largest town has no councillor is an anomaly but Rooney was not chosen to fill this gap.

In the Longford LEA, James Donnelly polled 401 first preferences, which was a marginal increase on the 356 polled by Tena Keown in 2019.

He finished eighth in the battle for seven seats.

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In the Granard LEA, Barry Campion finished the weakest of the three party candidates in the county, with 253 votes.

Finding candidates with a sufficient profile in their districts to run for the party is a challenge for SF.

“I am performing well. I am happy with my vote. I was running against six sitting candidates in the Ballymahon District. I am in the battle for the last seat,” he stated.

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Rooney admits that he was a late starter in terms of his campaign.

“I didn’t get operating until late April. I only got out canvassing at evenings and weekends,” he explained.

“But I would run again,” he added.

“We don’t have the base. The party membership in this district is not strong. However, Sinn Fein is growing,” he commented.

Also read: Fine Gael polls 13% higher than Fianna Fáil in Longford local elections as the parties share sixteen seats

He also feels that Edgeworthstown is a tough place to be based in. “The Granard district runs very close to the town. People have said to me that I was running in a difficult area,” he stated.

Despite a large and diverse field in the Longford LEA, the voters opted for the two main parties.

As a first time candidate, James Donnelly didn’t poll badly. However, with two outgoing councillors opting not to run again (John Browne of FG and independent Gerry Warnock), Sinn Féin would have surely aimed to take a seat.

Campion had a tougher task in the Granard District, but it is still a disappointing total for him. On the plus side for him, a well known figure in that area, Marett Smith (FF), could only manage 282 first preferences.

However, soul searching undoubtedly will follow from a Sinn Féin perspective.

Also read: Comeback King! Recount drama in north Longford as incredible Cassidy revival grabs final seat for Fianna Fáil