‘It was a mistake’: Sinn Féin’s promise to hold referendums again hurt party in local elections, members say

A TD admitted campaigners were confronted on the doors by voters while a councillor said voters told him they would not vote for the party because of its stance on the referendums.

Cllr PJ Carey said party leader Mary Lou McDonald’s promise that the family and care referendums would be run again if they fell came up on the doors more than immigration. Ms McDonald later backtracked on this promise.

“[The public on the doors] were annoyed, they told me they would not vote for Sinn Féin because of it,” said Cllr Carey.

“I would say it was a mistake to suggest running a referendum again if you didn’t get the favoured result. I wouldn’t see any great sense in that. Maybe we are seen now as a mainstream party as opposed to the opposition.

“Maybe some felt a bit of resentment or anger over that.”

A front-bench TD also said the referendums came up on the doors: “People were saying ‘what were you at voting for that?’”

The TD said immigration was an issue but concern over the topic was mostly fed by misinformation.

They said there was less criticism of migration in areas where Ukrainian and asylum-seeker accommodation was based.

Dublin TD Dessie Ellis said immigration “kicked in” during campaigning but “the low turnout was never going to be good for us”.

“People want change but it’s how you put that out to them,” he said.

Having previously said he would make up his mind whether he will run for the Dáil again after this month’s elections, Mr Ellis said the party will make a “call” on it and he will “abide by that decision”.

He said there will be a selection convention and when asked if he would put his name forward at the convention, he said: “I’ll let them make the decision”.

In campaigning for the next general election, he said the public want change but the party’s message needs to be communicated “better”.

For one freshly elected councillor, there was an acknowledgement that the election was a disappointment, but it was off the back of a “really ambitious target”.

There is also a sense that as a party, they have laid the groundwork for five years’ time and have increased their voter base.

They painted a picture of members determined to continue to work towards the next election.

They also pointed to the number of first-time candidates that Sinn Féin ran this time and pointed to the difficulty in unseating an incumbent.

However, Sinn Féin members rubbished the idea that not enough canvassing was done.

Stephanie O’Shea, who ran in the Kenmare local electoral area, said comments made about party campaigners not canvassing enough are “madness”.

“We knocked on more doors than anybody else.

“There was an enormous amount of ground covered,” she said.