Daniel McConnell: Mary Lou on the backfoot as Sinn Féin forced to explain

Having to deny purported links to gangland crime figures is denting the Sinn Féin leader's efforts to woo middle Ireland

Robust questioning by the BBC’s Mark Carruthers put Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald in a most uncomfortable spot. Picture: David Young/PA 

Denials on Sunday morning by Mary Lou McDonald of comments revealed in the Regency Hotel murder trial last week about alleged links between Sinn Féin and the criminal underworld put her in a place she would much rather not be.

McDonald, even before she became Sinn Féin president, has sought to present the softer, cuddlier and less threatening image of her party in a bid to widen its voter base and especially amongst aspirational middle-class people.