Sinn Féín president Gerry Adams visited County Sligo this week to support local candidate Chris MacManus, one of two Sinn Fein hopefuls in the four-seat Sligo-Leitrim constituency.
Mr Adams, himself a TD for Louth attended a rally to support Mr MacManus’ campaign in the Sligo Park Hotel on Tuesday night which was attended by around 300 supporters. And on Wednesday he unveiled a new billboard in Collooney highlighting the emigration figures from County Sligo in recent years.
While in Collooney, Deputy Adams also spoke on Ocean FM and addressed comments he recently made about the Special Criminal Court.
He claimed that his comments had been “hyped out of all proportion” and it was a ploy used to score political points.
“We’re talking about organised crime which can be tackled and it’s not us [Sinn Féín] that have been soft on crime. It is the government which has allowed conditions to prevail where these gangs think that they are above the law.”
At the rally in the Sligo Park Hotel, Mr Adams had outlined the Sinn Féin strategy for the constituency and pledged that his party would not form a government as a junior partner. Also in attendance on the evening were outgoing Sinn Fein TD Micheal Colreavy who is not seeking re-election and Chris MacManus’ running mate, Leitrim’s Martin Kenny.
