Mary Lou McDonald Vows “We Will Have Our Day” and Apologises for Sinn Féin’s Poor Election Results
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has expressed her determination for a stronger future despite the party’s disappointing performance in the recent local and European elections. She offered an apology, saying, “I am sorry that we didn’t do better. I know that we can do better and I am determined that we will do better.”
Despite expectations that Sinn Féin would double its number of local council seats, the party faced a setback, returning only 13 councillors as of 2pm, compared to Fine Gael’s 74 and Fianna Fáil’s 63. Hopes of securing multiple MEPs in each European constituency have dimmed, with only Lynn Boylan likely to win a seat in Dublin.
Ms McDonald reaffirmed her commitment to lead the party through a period of reflection and review, stating, “I will lead this reflection and this process… Leaders step forward. They don’t step down.” She emphasized her pride in the party’s talent and potential, acknowledging that while mistakes were made, the party will learn and improve.
Addressing previous strategic errors, McDonald admitted, “Clearly, we didn’t get that right. This is not an exact science. We learn, we improve, and we learn.”
When questioned about the party’s stance against the government and its position on immigration, McDonald denied that these had significantly impacted the election outcome. She concluded, “It has not been our day, but we will have our day. What we need to do now is rest a bit, regroup, think, learn, reflect, and then get back to it.”
