Sinn Féin to hold public rally tonight

Sinn Féin will tonight hold a public rally in Cavan as the party continue to pitch their position to the electorate amid the ongoing impasse over Government formation.

Among those to attend event at the Hotel Kilmore in Cavan Town, starting 7.30pm, will be party leader and president Mary Lou McDonald and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill.

Also present will be members of Sinn Féin government negotiation team, Cavan-Monaghan TD Matt Carthy and the party's spokesperson on finance, Pearse Doherty, as well as newly elected local Dáil representative Pauline Tully.

The public meetings, Sinn Fein say, are aimed at putting pressure on the party's political opponents to engage on issues surrounding government formation.

“It is now emerging is that there will be a clear choice to be made - on the one hand for a government of change or on the other hand, the carve up of power again between the two old parties of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and I know which of those the people want,” said Deputy McDonald.

Newly elected Deputy Tully supported her party leader's stance, reiterating once again that Sinn Féin has at all times being open to discussing the formation of government with all parties.

“We've ruled out no one,” she said, explaining that the public meetings are designed to keep both members of the party and the public up to date with ongoing negotiations.

She denied that the events were a form of political posturing, telling The Anglo-Celt: “We are trying to give people an insight to what's going on behind the scenes. Alright, the media reports on it, but it's not the full picture, and to listen back to what people have to say to us about what they think, because that's important to us.”