Adams chosen to run in Louth

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams was tonight chosen as the party’s general election candidate in the Louth constituency.

Mr Adams was unopposed for the party’s nomination and said he would be a “huge honour” to work for the people of the county if elected to Dáil Eireann.

Around 200 delegates turned up for tonight’s convention at the Fairways Hotel in Dundalk, Co Louth.

The convention itself lasted only 20 minutes with Mr Adams being proposed by local Sinn Féin Cllr Edel Corrigan and seconded by Cllr Pearse McGeough.

His nomination was unopposed and he was given a standing ovation by delegates.

Mr Adams spent the day today defending himself against allegations contained in the Wikileaks cables that he knew about the Northern Bank robbery before it happened.

However, he did not refer to it in his acceptance speech stating instead that Sinn Féin had a vision “way beyond the imagination of these other parties”.

“ It is for a united Ireland and the hugely important task started 200 years ago to unite Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter,” he said.

“We will be the generation that will live in a united and free Ireland. Our job is to tell people who we are. It is our job to have belief. We are talking about putting in place a better Ireland and making a stand for Republicanism and citizenship.”

Mr Adams announced his intention to stand in the constituency last month after the party’s finance spokesman Arthur Morgan declared his intention not to stand for re-election.

Retiring Government minister and fellow Louth TD Dermot Ahern said there would be an ABA “anybody but Adams” vote in the constituency at the general election.

However, Sinn Féin Cllr Thomas Sharkey said the ABA would have been directed instead at Mr Ahern had he stood.

“Dermot Ahern is hated in this area for what he has done to health services in this area. He would have been under severe pressure even within his own party. They are embarrassed to have him about the place,” Cllr Sharkey said.