Former Sinn Féin MEP Liadh Ní Riada is to leave politics

Sinn Féin’s hopes of adding to its three seats in Cork have suffered a major setback after former MEP and presidential candidate Liadh Ní Riada announced that she is stepping down from politics and will not be a candidate for the party in Cork North West in the next general election.

Ms Ní Riada, who lives in Baile Mhic Íre in the Múscraí Gaeltacht in mid-Cork, had been chosen by Sinn Féin to run for the party in three seat Cork North West and hopes were high of her taking a seat, with the party polling over 30 per cent in the opinion polls.

But Ms Ní Riada announced in a tweet on Friday evening that she was retiring from politics, leaving Sinn Féin looking for a replacement candidate in Cork North West, which is currently represented by Fianna Fáil TDs Aindrias Moynihan and Michael Moynihan, and Michael Creed of Fine Gael.

Ms Ní Riada tweeted: “A chairde, as some of you probably know already, I have decided to step down from politics. Not an easy decision but the right one for me. I cannot thank you all enough for your tremendous support and friendship. Míle bhuíochas libh ar fad.”

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Miss Ní Riada and Sinn Féin have been contacted for comment

The daughter of the composer of Mise Éire, Seán Ó Riada, Ms Ní Riada is a former television producer. She first became involved in politics in 2011 when she joined Sinn Féin as the party’s national Irish language officer, having been inspired by her first husband Fiachra to get involved.

Three years later, Ms Ní Riada was selected to run for Sinn Féin in the four-seat Ireland South constituency. She took the second seat for the party behind poll-topper Brian Crowley when she gathered 129,309 first preferences to becomes Sinn Féin’s first MEP for the constituency.

Sinn Féin selected Ms Ní Riada to contest the 2018 presidential election, but she polled poorly, coming in fourth position with 93,987 or 6.38 per cent, well behind the incumbent Michael D Higgins who got 822,566 first preferences.

In 2019, Ms Ní Riada contested the European Parliament elections for Sinn Féin for the second time, but she saw her vote drop by over 50,000 from 129,309 to 79,072 or 10.99pc of the vote and she ended up losing her seat.

However, in March 2021, Ms Ní Riada became the unanimous choice of Sinn Féin to run in the next general election in Cork North West, with the party confident that she would take a seat for them as their vote in opinion polls regularly topped 30pc.

“I look forward to challenging the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael dominance in Irish politics and in Cork North-West in particular. We have no female TD representing us in this constituency and that needs to be rectified,” said Ms Ní Riada in a statement at the time.