Wearing a “patriotic” green trench coat, Mary Lou McDonald is armed with a bundle of election leaflets with the faces of Sinn Fein local and European candidates emblazoned on them. She is making her way to a house in Duleek, Co Meath after spotting a friendly dog outside the house where the front door is open. The householders emerge from the house, surprised to see the Sinn Fein leader outside their home.
Flanked by two local election candidates, Ms McDonald chats to the householders about their dog and baby Alex Rose, who is aged eight months. She tells them she is “looking for a number one” for election candidate Seamus Lynch and a number two for his running mate Maria White. Moving on to the next house, the householders, partners Joseph Carolan and Pauline Barry who were “bred and buttered” in Duleek, are told to “spread the word” to vote for the Sinn Fein candidates.
Ms McDonald, who is questioned by Pauline over not running enough local election candidates in 2019, reassures the householders that she is running a “huge slate of candidates” this time – a total of 335. The party does not have any representation in the Duleek area, which falls under the Laytown-Bettystown district in Meath County Council, but Ms McDonald is confident the candidates will secure a seat each. She brings up the European election, saying that Michelle Gildernew and Chris McManus are running in Midlands North West.
Describing Ms Gildernew as a “very experienced politician.
