17/07/2026
Sinn Féin has begun disciplinary proceedings against one of its own members in Galway West after she publicly criticised the party's by-election candidate.
Máirín Mhic Lochlainn, a member of the Máirtín Ó Cadhain Cumann in Conamara Theas, says a complaint was made against her claiming she undermined the campaign by repeatedly criticising the selection of Mark Lohan in public and in the media.
Her objection was about Irish. Speaking before the vote, she called Lohan's selection "an insult to the people of Conamara" and described it as shameful, arguing that Galway West, home to the largest Gaeltacht in the country, needed a candidate who could actually speak the language at meetings, at protests, and in the shops.
She also took issue with Mary Lou McDonald telling RTÉ that Lohan had Irish. Her response, on Raidió na Gaeltachta: she did German years ago and can still manage about ten sentences, but ten sentences isn't speaking a language.
The result was brutal. Lohan finished seventh on 6.7%, with the Sinn Féin vote almost halving from Mairéad Farrell's poll-topping performance in 2024. Seán Kyne of Fine Gael took the seat.
Mhic Lochlainn says she doesn't accept she brought the party into disrepute.
The seat that Catherine Connolly held — a fluent Gaeilgeoir and former chair of the Oireachtas Gaeltacht committee — is now held by Fine Gael.
Was she out of line, or was she right?
