Sinn Féin appoint Ní Riada

Sinn Féin has appointed Liadh Ní Riada, daughter of the composer Sean Ó Riada, as the party’s Irish language development officer.

The mother-of-three lives with her husband, Ballyvourney statue restorer Nicholas Forde, in the Muskerry Gaeltacht of Cúil-Aodha in Co Cork.

She is the youngest child of the man who was influential in the revival of Irish traditional music and culture in the 1960s.

“It is my ambition for Sinn Féin to strengthen our native language and culture and to ensure that it is a living and vibrant part of the daily lives of party members,” she said.

She has produced and directed documentaries for RTÉ and TG4 and has been working with a group from Múscraí in developing the traditional arts, particularly sean-nós singing.

Party leader Gerry Adams made the announcement last night.

Meanwhile, Mr Adams is to deliver a keynote address at the Easter Commemoration at the republican plot in St Finbarr’s Cemetery in Cork this Sunday after a march from the city centre at 2.30pm.