Friends of Sinn Féin USA

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The Times They Are a-Changing - A letter from Ireland

a Chara,

This has been quite the week in Local government in the North of Ireland as local councils elected their Mayors or Council Chairs for the coming year. In the North, the Mayors and Chairs are elected by the council and serve a one-year term.

There are eleven councils, and this year Sinn Féin took the leadership role in six councils, including the largest urban councils of Belfast, Derry and Strabane, as well as councils covering Armagh, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.

In Antrim and Newtownabbey Council, Henry Cushinan became the first Sinn Féin member to serve as Mayor. Henry is a former political prisoner who served time in Long Kesh during the Blanket and Hunger strike protests.

In many ways, this first is a symbol of political change in Ireland. Before taking on the role, Henry paid his respects to those who had struggled in the gaols. His politics has not changed; he is a committed Irish Republican and United Irelander, but the growth of Sinn Féin and the peace process have changed the North.

For years, Sinn Féin did not contest elections in the North; all of that changed when Bobby Sands was elected an MP while on Hunger Strike in 1981. In 1983, Alex Maskey was elected to Belfast City Council in a by-election (special election) and became the first Sinn Féin Councillor in the city since the 1920s.

He would be banned from attending council meetings and would have to enter the building wearing a bulletproof jacket, such was the level of unionist threats. He would soon be joined by other Sinn Féin Councillors.

The first election campaign I ever worked on was for Máirtín Ó Muilleoir when he was elected to the Council in 1987. Whistles would be blown when a Sinn Féin member tried to speak, and the Irish language was banned from the council. In his book, “The Dome of Delight”, Máirtín details the rows, fist fights, court cases and protests that secured the right of Sinn Féin Councillors to be heard. All of that came at the cost of living with the threat of assassination and the loss of many party colleagues. Our offices were attacked, our members killed, a bomb was placed outside the party room in the Council, and we were censored by the governments from the media.

Alex would go on to be the First Sinn Féin Mayor of Belfast and would be joined by others, including Máirtín.

Belfast Council has fundamentally changed. That change has been frustratingly slow, and a minority still hold out for the old days of Unionist dominance.

Sinn Féin is the largest party, and the Council has unveiled a strategy to promote the Irish language. The City Council, like the city itself, is now a shared place. The time I grew up in is now gone, and the city is in the hands of a new generation. The new Sinn Féin mayor is Róis-Máire Donnelly, a Gaeilgeoir (Irish language speaker) from the Ballymurphy area of West Belfast. She has promised to prioritise the needs of young people in the city and to promote the shared heritage of the Irish language.

As the words of the song go, “the times they are a changin.”

Have a great weekend.

Is mise,

Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America. Each week he writes a letter from Ireland with news and analysis. It is featured in the weekly Friends of Sinn Féin USA Newsletter. Be sure you are subscribed to stay up to date.

San Francisco! Tonight! Do not miss your chance to hear from Sinn Féin Vice President Michelle O'Neill! Join us at the United Irish Cultural Center at 7:30 for a fireside chat & learn more about work being done to plan & prepare for Irish Unity! https://donorbox.org/events/927922/steps/choose_tickets

Delaying Good Jobs Bill will have impact on parents requiring neonatal leave

Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy has said any more delay in progressing the Good Jobs Bill will have an impact on parents who require neonatal leave.

The party’s economy spokesperson was speaking after the Economy Committee agreed to write to the Executive on the issue.

“Today the Economy Committee agreed to write to the Executive regarding the impact delaying the Good Jobs Bill will have on workers and families, especially when it comes to parents whose babies require neonatal care.

“The Good Jobs Bill will introduce the most progressive workers’ rights legislation ever introduced in the north.

“It will ensure that many can remain in work with measures including paid leave for parents during neonatal care, supporting working from home and strengthening protections for workers on maternity leave and introduce a right to carer’s leave.

“Delaying this legislation would be an insult to workers particularly those who are struggling with the cost of living.

“This Bill is about investing in and empowering our workforce, there can be no more delaying its progress.”

Michelle O’Neill comments on Keir Starmer’s apology to families of those killed in Springhill Massacre

Commenting on the British Prime Minister’s apology to the families of the Springhill Massacre, Leas-Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill said, “The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s apology to the families of those killed by the British Army in the Springhill massacre on 9 July 1972 – Fr Noel Fitzpatrick, Patrick Butler, John Dougal, David McCafferty and Margaret Gargan – is an important acknowledgement of the suffering endured by these families over many decades.

“Nothing can undo the pain and loss experienced by those who lost loved ones that day. But acknowledgment matters. The Springhill families deserve the truth, and they deserve to have that truth publicly recognised.

“The Springhill families now join the families of Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy, whose determined campaigns secured official findings and public acknowledgement of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones.

“These moments matter not only because they recognise individual loss, but because they affirm and expose the actions of the British army against the Springhill community

“While today marks an important and significant moment for the Springhill Families, there remain many families who continue to wait for truth, accountability and acknowledgement where their loved ones were killed as in a manner similar to Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy and Springhill.

“Every family has the right to know what happened. Every family deserves equal access to truth, justice and accountability.

“The British Government must now end its cruel and cynical approach to legacy. Families seeking to establish the truth about what happened to their loved ones should not be dragged through protracted and painful legal processes, and particularly so when the evidence is clear. The cynical handling of legacy issues from the British Prime Minister, including his prioritisation of the interests of British state forces over victims and families, has undermined confidence in current legacy mechanisms and deepened hurt. If he is serious about dealing with legacy, this approach must end.

“Today belongs to the Springhill Families. Their perseverance over five decades has ensured that the truth has been told and that their loved ones are remembered with dignity, pride and respect.”

Washington, DC! Join us on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 6:00pm for a conversation with Mary Lou McDonald, the President of Sinn Féin, the largest political party in Ireland and Ireland’s first woman leading the Opposition.

Hear an address from Mary Lou McDonald, followed by a fireside chat hosted by our friends at The New 32 Project. There will be time to meet and greet afterwards, as well an a chance to connect with activists who are part of the work being done to plan and prepare for a new and united Ireland.

Tickets are limited and are required to attend. Link to register in comments.

Making Sense of the By-Elections - A letter from Ireland

a Chara,

Last weekend, the votes were counted in two by-elections (special elections). One in Dublin Central, an urban constituency, and the other in Galway West, comprising Galway City and a vast tract of rural Gaeltacht.

It was a disappointing election, as Sinn Féin finished second in Dublin to the Social Democrats and down the field in Galway, with the seat going to one of the government parties, Fine Gael.

Two different constituencies returning Centre-Left and Centre-Right candidates. I say disappointing, as I believe neither will deliver the kind of new and united Ireland that the people so desperately need and desire. But that is democracy.

I am always mindful of President Clinton’s words: “The American people have spoken—but it’s going to take a little while to determine exactly what they said.”

While it is always interesting to try to guess, it is dangerous to draw conclusions from two vastly different constituencies, where hyper-local candidates and issues can skew results but not have an impact on a national scale. It would be like comparing a district in Massachusetts to one in New Mexico or a riding in Quebec to one in Alberta.

Elections in Ireland use proportional representation. A voter ranks their candidates in order of preference. In these elections, Sinn Féin sought to win seats and also support other left-wing parties. A first preference for Sinn Féin, then encouraging voters to give preferences to other left-wing candidates.

In the Galway election, when the Sinn Féin candidate was eliminated, 75% of his transferable votes went to parties and independent candidates on the left, and 25% to a rural party. The battle for the seat was between a centre-right candidate of Fine Gael and the rural party candidate of Independent Ireland.

In the final round of vote counting, it was the left-leaning parties’ votes that elected the centre-right candidate. This was not a surprise, as the Irish Labour Party had supported Fine Gael in previous Governments.

In Dublin, the election battle was between left-wing parties, with the Sinn Féin candidate taking second place to the Social Democrats after nine rounds of transfers.

This result meant that, for the first time in history, the constituency has no representative from the government parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

The votes across both constituencies vary dramatically. Looking at the winning parties, Fine Gael got 20% in Galway and 10.7% in Dublin, while the Social Democrats got 19.7% in Dublin and 7% in Galway. Independent Ireland did not contest the election in Dublin.

However, over time, trends become a little more clear. In 2007, Fianna Fail got 44% of the vote in Dublin and is now at 4%. In Galway, over the same period, their vote has collapsed from 37% to 9%. Sinn Féin’s vote has more than doubled, returning TDs in both constituencies.

Until very recently, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael controlled both government and opposition, and they could rely on smaller left parties to make up the numbers. That is no longer the case. Across the state, polls indicate that Sinn Féin has made up ground and is now the largest party, while support for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has fallen.

The by-election results offer an important snapshot of opinion in two very different constituencies and two very different sets of results. The analysis of what the people have said will take some time to work out.

Have a great weekend.

Is mise,

Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America. Each week he writes a letter from Ireland with news and analysis. It is featured in the weekly Friends of Sinn Féin USA Newsletter. Be sure you are subscribed to stay up to date.

SIGN UP! Irish Unity Study Group: join readers from all over the country in an online study group as we read & discuss Ben Collins' The Irish Unity Dividend. Once a month - facilitated groups - all are welcome! Ben Collins joins last call in September! Sign up link comments.

Minister McEntee must ensure British Government does not act in bad faith on legacy issues and honours commitments made in Joint Legacy Framework

Sinn Féin MP John Finucane has questioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Helen McEntee on Britain’s legacy legislation.

The MP for North Belfast said, “At the Good Friday Agreement Committee, I raised serious concerns with Minister McEntee about the direction of the British Government’s legacy legislation and attempts to build further protections for state actors into the legislation.

“In April, Secretary of State Hilary Benn confirmed that the legislation would be delayed until October in order to develop additional protections for their current and former military.

“Victims and families will view that very seriously. There can be no hierarchy of victims and no political manoeuvring designed to shield state forces, intelligence agencies or their agents from accountability.

“I also raised the recent May report into the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Retrieval, which exposed significant concerns around culture, management and public confidence, concerns long raised by victims and families themselves.

“The British state cannot continue withholding information relating to its actions and the actions of its proxies during the conflict.

“The Irish Government now has a responsibility to ensure that the British Government honours its commitments and that any legacy mechanisms are independent, transparent, human rights compliant and capable of delivering truth and accountability for families.”

San Francisco - do not miss this opportunity to hear from Sinn Féin Vice President Michelle O'Neill on Friday, June 5th at 7:30 at the United Irish Cultural Center. This is a exciting moment in Irish history and this is your chance to hear directly from one of the leaders making history! Tickets are moving quickly - register here now! https://donorbox.org/events/927922/steps/choose_tickets