‘Sinn Fein are election ready’ – insists leader Mary Lou McDonald

Ms McDonald said there is a “real sense of positivity and optimism” among the party membership as selection conventions continue in the Republic.

Speaking to reporters at the party’s Ard Fheis conference in Athlone, the Sinn Fein leader said: “We’re election ready, we look forward to the campaign and we’re in it to win it.”

Ms McDonald said the “stakes are high” for the national poll, adding: “We feel confident and we’re ready for it because we believe passionately that there has to be a change of Government, that we can do so much better.”

She said the party would seek to elect a representative in every Irish constituency, adding that it was hoping to win two seats in some electoral areas. However, she cautioned: “We’re not one bit presumptuous or arrogant about this.”

Earlier this year, Ms McDonald announced that Sinn Fein had conducted an internal review after performing well below its own expectations in the local and European elections.

She revealed that senior figures in Sinn Fein…