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SINN FÉIN HAS picked general election candidates in all but five constituencies as the party hopes to have its selection process wrapped up by the end of next month.
Gerry Adams’s party appears to be far more advanced than any of the other main political parties with 35 out of 40 selection conventions held so far and a total of 42 candidates selected.
Party sources believe the election will be called before the end of this year despite the government officially maintaining that it will go its full term to spring 2016.
Sinn Féin has held a total of 37 selection conventions in recent months with two additional conventions in Dublin constituencies to add candidates.
Councillor Catherine Carney Boud was added to the ticket along with sitting TD Dessie Ellis in Dublin North West. Councillor Máire Devine was added in Dublin South Central where the party already has incumbent TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh.
Sixteen of the 42 candidates selected so far are women. At 38 per cent, this means the party is is currently over the requirement that a third of its Dáil hopefuls must be female.
It is party policy that in any constituency where it is running two or more candidates then one of them must be female with the exception of Donegal where two sitting deputies, Pearse Doherty and Padraig MacLochlainn, are running again.
Sinn Féin would not comment on how many candidates the party will eventually run in the general election and intends keeping this under review until the close of nominations.
“We anticipate most conventions will be completed prior to the end of July,” a spokesperson said.
Conventions are still be held in East Galway, Limerick, Tipperary, Carlow-Kilkenny and Cork East.
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Let us hope the families finally get justice for what happened that terrible bloody Sunday.
Murdered by a foreign army on Irish soil…
@pat murphy: horse guards
If it was the case that the soldiers were given advance orders to shoot should they feel it was warranted then that order should be traced up the chain of command. I don’t believe it was a spur of the moment decision
@Brian Jones: I don’t think they needed to feel it was warranted. I was listening to an interview by one of the relatives the other day and he said that one of the soldiers that gave evidence to Saville said that he looked down the barrel of his gun but could see no justification for shooting so he didn’t pull the trigger. Others didn’t seem to care whether it was justified or not.
Will be amazed if these people receive justice, UK 2ont like to admit that it’s own army murdered people
@Barry Somers: agree , but every army murders people!
@Barry Somers: unlikely they will see justice, British soldiers, British courts, British jury…..
Had the pleasure of meeting with these wonderful people from Derry recently when they came to Dublin to support our fight for Justice for the Stardust 48.
We wish them all the best in their quest for Justice. As I have said before…. TRUTH+JUSTICE=PEACE
Give these families justice and peace enough is enough
Like all historic trouble related murders in N.Ireland, it’s time to let go of the past and move on to the future. All trouble related crimes on all sides committed before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement should be subject to a general amnesty. Nobody murdered on any side of the troubles is coming back. Death is a one way street, a shared future is a two way street. Let go of the past and move on to a better, brighter shared future.
@Charles Williams: Easier said than done Charles.
@Charles Williams What you say would make perfect sense but some scars will only begin to heal when everyone associated with them is dead and even then …
@Charles Williams:
The British army were never charged, imprisoned, admitted or apologised for their murders, so they’re not covered by the GFA – which also they were against.
And yet there are still people who were British blood stained poppies.
have your say