Sinn Féin on course to become largest party in Northern Ireland councils, poll suggests

John Finucane, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Fein Party leader Mary Lou McDonald and Conor Murphy launched the party’s local election campaign last week (Liam McBurney/PA)

Sinn Féin is on course to become the largest party in local government in Northern Ireland, a new poll has suggested.

The republican party will win 29.8% of first preference votes in this month’s council elections, a University of Liverpool-Institute of Irish Studies opinion poll for the Irish News suggests.