Sinn Féin tipped for shock election gain in north-west

SINN FÉIN is set to pull off a major surprise in the new three-seat Sligo-North Leitrim constituency, the latest Red C opinion poll has revealed.

The poll, commissioned by the Sligo Weekender and published today, shows that the veteran Sinn Féin candidate Sean MacManus is in strong contention to win the seat being vacated by independent Marian Harkin.

After Ms Harkin announced she was staying in Europe and after the redrawing of the constituency, a consensus emerged that the battle for the last seat would be between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.