Sinn Féin reaches out to Social Democrats and Labour in coalition bid

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald at the election count centre at the RDS in Dublin, after voters went to the polls to elect 174 TDs across 43 constituencies during the General Election. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Sinn Féin has reached out to both the Social Democrats and Labour in a coalition bid, as the party concedes that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have the numbers for a government.

Mary Lou McDonald has contacted both Holly Cairns and Ivana Bacik today, as the Sinn Féin leader seeks to form a left-wing alliance heading into the 34th Dáil.