Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has congratulated Sinn Féin’s four by-election candidates, in particular Mark Ward who topped the poll and won the seat in Dublin Mid West.

Deputy McDonald said;

“I want to thank the voters of Dublin Mid West, Fingal, Wexford and Cork North Central. The vote was a clear rejection of the government’s housing and health policies and a vote for Sinn Féin’s proposals for the biggest public housing programme in decades, investment in public services and for planning for Irish unity.

“The result is significant for a number of reasons – it exposed a totally out of touch government which is failing to deliver for workers and families and a growing impatience among the people at a government wasting the economic growth of recent years. 

“I want to thank our four candidates – Mark Ward, Thomas Gould, Ann Graves and Johnny Mythen. They are all champions for their local communities and put forward a clear alternative to the polices of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

“I also want to thank all of our activists for the incredible work that they put in over the last number of weeks. 

“Mark Ward TD will join the Sinn Féin Dáil team on Monday morning. His first job of work will be to vote no confidence in Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy and show that Sinn Féin has the solutions to the housing crisis.”