Foyle success particularly sweet for Sinn Féin

It was early on Friday, as the first tallies and votes were counted, that SDLP figures privately conceded that hopes of a third MLA would not materialise in the face of a strong Sinn Féin performance

Padraig Delargy (centre) is elected in Foyle (Niall Carson/PA)

Victory in the westerly constituency of Foyle was particularly sweet as Sinn Féin celebrated electoral success across Northern Ireland.

In the December 2019 UK general election, Colum Eastwood had pulled off a remarkable coup – defeating the incumbent Sinn Féin candidate Elisha McCallion by more than 17,000 votes.