SF had income of over €2m in 2003

New audited accounts from Sinn Féin show the party had an income of €2,035,960 in 2003 - a 30 per cent increase on the previous year.

The accounts show a dramatic rise in donations - from €194,394 in 2002 to €464,238 in 2003 - and a boost in state funding in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

The party further claimed to have raised £90,000-£100,000 (€130,000-€144,000) in the United States last year, money which is being channelled through the party's Northern Ireland office to circumvent a ban on foreign donations in the Republic. Sinn Féin's director of finance, Mr Des Mackin, told The Irish Times that the figures indicated 2004 was "our biggest year" for fundraising in the US.

The party's efforts were boosted by fundraising dinners in three cities - New York, Chicago and San Francisco - last November.

Sources of income, other than donations, listed for 2003 were (with 2002 figures in brackets): Exchequer funding: €688,546 (€547,376), contribution from MLAs €480,889 (€509,922), Northern Ireland Office funding €216,476 (€147,992), fundraising €90,968 (€136,434), registration fees €25,909 (€10,915), and "other and notional income" €68,934 (€21,911).

The figures are calculated on an all-Ireland basis, and relate solely to money raised by the party's Dublin and Belfast offices.

It is only the second year that Sinn Féin has published audited accounts. The first set of accounts were released just over a year ago amid growing controversy about how the party funds its operations.

Other political parties in the Republic publish accounts on a yearly, biennial or triennial basis, with the exception of Fianna Fáil which said its accounts were a private matter for its trustees.