SINN Féin’s plan to take a seat in the Cork North West constituency at the next general election have been dealt a blow after their high profile candidate, former Ireland MEP Liadh Ní Riada, announced that she is stepping away from politics.
The daughter of musician and composer Séan Ó Riada made the shock announcement that she was stepping down from politics on social media site Twitter.
Ms Ní Riada said that she is the director of the Ionad Cultúrtha arts centre in Ballyvourney and it’s something that she loves.
‘It was not an easy decision to make, but the timing was right for me,’ she said.
‘Sinn Féin now has time to choose a new candidate in Cork North West.
‘Whoever that candidate is will have my support and I wish them the very best of luck. I want to thank my family, friends and comrades in Sinn Féin for their support.’
The native Irish speaker, former television producer and mum-of-three from Cúil Aodha was first elected as an MEP for Ireland South in 2014 and sat on the EU Fisheries while there.
However, she failed to retain her seat in 2019. She also ran unsuccessfully as a presidential election candidate in 2018.
