Foyle success particularly sweet for Sinn Féin

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.

His entered the Assembly election full of confidence, fielding three candidates in the hope of capitalising on the levelling of Sinn Féin in 2019.

In contrast, Sinn Féin appeared like a party in turmoil in the city of Derry.

Rumours of internal discontent within the party were met with a tough response from the central party office, with incumbent MLAs Martina Anderson and Karen Mullan asked to step down by senior figures in Sinn Féin as part of a wider review of the party operation in the city.

Their replacement with Padraic Delargy and Ciara Ferguson, neither high-profile figures in the party, led many to predict trouble for the party in the Assembly poll.

SDLP’s Mark H. Durkan after being elected in Foyle (Niall Carson/PA)

But in Magherafelt on Friday, it quickly became apparent that Sinn Féin had been written off too soon.

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.

Mark H Durkan, as predicted, was comfortably elected for the SDLP.

But doubt remained late on Friday about whether it would be former mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Brian Tierney, or current MLA Sinead McLaughlin, who would take the second seat for the SDLP.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood appeared to play down expectations for his party even as he arrived at Magherafelt.

He told the PA news agency that voters may have “lent” their vote to Sinn Féin.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood arrives with his family to cast their votes (Dominic McGrath/PA)

“It’s going to be a long day and maybe a long night as well,” he said on Friday.

“I think there has been a big vote for Sinn Féin on the nationalist side.

“People decided to send a very clear message that nationalists should not be locked out of the first minister position.

“I understand that motivation and I think a lot of people have lent them their vote.”

Sinn Féin rubbished that idea, with Finance Minister Conor Murphy saying that he had heard the same analysis in the 1990s.

Mr Delargy, 26, who topped the poll with a vote largely unchanged from the  Sinn Féin share in 2017, had only been co-opted into Stormont last September alongside Ciara Ferguson.

The election of Ms Ferguson, after a strong showing, is now largely a forgone conclusion.

Mr Delargy said that he was “delighted” with the result.

“This has been a great day for Sinn Féin in Derry, but across the North as well.”

“It is a great resounding vote of confidence in our party.”

“I think people have put their faith in Sinn Féin, because they recognise we’re in touch with ordinary people.”

Yet some signs of division still remain.

Asked whether Ms Anderson or Ms Mullan campaigned for him during the election campaign, he declined to say.

“The party altogether have been campaigning. We’ve been really glad of the activists. People have different roles within the party and we’re really grateful for the activists in Derry who have made this success possible today,” he said.