Politics

Sinn Féin TD Patricia Ryan resigns from party ahead of constituency convention

Ryan was elected for Kildare South in 2020

Kildare South Sinn Féin TD Patricia Ryan has resigned from the party
Kildare South Sinn Féin TD Patricia Ryan has resigned from the party
Jennifer Bray
Wed Oct 09 2024 - 21:52

Sinn Féin TD Patricia Ryan has resigned from the party, chief whip Pádraig MacLochlainn has announced.

Speaking on Wednesday evening, he said that “Patricia Ryan has been a Sinn Féin TD since 2020, having served on Kildare County Council in the year before that. She was a valued member of our team and I’m disappointed that she has made this decision.

“The convention for the Kildare South Constituency will take place next week, with nominations opening tomorrow morning. “This is likely to be a contested convention. We encouraged Patricia to seek the nomination but she was unwilling to do so.

“She informed us today that she will not be putting her name forward, and tendered her resignation from the party.”

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Ms Ryan was among a wave of successful first time Sinn Féin general election candidates that won seats in 2020. She topped the poll in Kildare South.

From Monasterevin, she was first elected to Kildare County Council in 2019, representing the Kildare local electoral area.

There had been speculation locally in recent weeks that Ms Ryan was to face competition for the party nomination, including from Kildare councillor Shóna Ní Raghallaigh, a primary school teacher.

Ms Ryan has not yet responded to requests for comment, or issued a public statement. A local source in Kildare said she is understood to be unhappy with how she was treated within the party.

Ms Ryan was previously criticised for taking a holiday during the 2020 election campaign. A party spokesperson explained at the time that Ms Ryan received a short holiday as a Christmas gift from her children, “and the dates couldn’t be changed at short notice”.

Sinn Féin has so far selected more than 50 candidates to run in the upcoming election.

Party sources told The Irish Times last week that the final number of candidates that it will run could be in the mid-60s. The party was stung by a disappointing performance in the local elections this summer, taking less than 12 per cent of the national vote. Strategists are now trying to work out the appropriate number of candidates for the forthcoming general election.

Jennifer Bray

Jennifer Bray

Jennifer Bray is a Political Correspondent with The Irish Times