Sinn Féin Ard Fheis: Attack mode as troops rally for poll battle

Sinn Féin’s ard fheis in Derry was a fast-paced bellicose gathering of a party hungry for power and baring its teeth before next year’s general election.

Delegate after delegate took to the stage in the packed Millennium Forum hall delivering growling criticisms of the Fine Gael-Labour coalition, as well as the Tory-led government in Britain.

This vociferous pack of politicians and their doggedly loyal supporters are in a veritable hunt for power. Sinn Féin wants a mandate for government and on their own terms, not as a junior partner.