SHANNON County Councillor Donna McGettigan has been returned unopposed to the Sinn Féín Ard Comahirle, following the party’s Munster AGM.
She said the party hopes to decide next month on a strategy for Clare in the next general election.
It is the third year in a row that Councillor McGettigan has been selected to represent party members in Munster on the party’s administrative body.
There are around 30 people on the Ard Comhairle, with four elected from each province along with executive members.
Speaking about the role of the Ard Comhairle, Councillor McGettigan said, “It’s mostly policy making and then the overseeing of the party as a whole. Our policies come through Ard Fheis, from the grassroots up.”
Sinn Féin is the party performing best in opinion polls and she claimed it is more in tune with the times than its rivals.
“We are on the rise and it’s time now for change. We are always hearing from people about the cost of living and it is heartbreaking. We are bringing forward good policies to help working families, people on waiting lists, people waiting for houses.”
The departure of Violet Anne Wynne was bad publicity for the party, and it also opened up the question of who would stand for Sinn Féin in Clare at the next election.
Councillor McGettigan said the party hopes to make a decision quite soon.
“We will be looking at the figures from the last election and looking at the best way to go forward. Hopefully in May we’ll know who’ll be going forward.”
Since the departure of Ms Wynne she is the only elected representative the party has in Clare, so would she be interested in running for the Dáil?
“My main priority is Mike McKee’s (the late SF councillor) seat at the next local election. Mike was a friend and I’m just a keeper of the seat until the next election.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.