More success for Sinn Féin in local elections
Portumna, 8 June 1920 - As results of the recent rural local elections begin to come in, Sinn Féin looks set to to surge to another major political triumph.
With more than half of the seats uncontested, the dominance of Sinn Féin in most of the new councils is assured. Where contests have taken place, with the exception of Ulster, it appears that almost all local government bodies will be controlled by republicans.
In the west of Ireland, Galway Rural District Council (RDC) will, save for one councillor, consist solely of Sinn Féin members. Practically all of Portumna RDC will be Sinn Féin, while in Co. Mayo, the Ballina RDC will be exclusively represented by Sinn Féin after the party secured all seats in Ballycastle, the only area to be contested.
In the south of the country, Labour secured seven seats on Carrick on Suir RDC, but Sinn Féin were again the big winners with 27 of the remaining 28 seats. The party’s ascendancy was also affirmed in Kerry and Cork and Tipperary.
Results in Ulster were more varied. The new county council in Derry, for instance, will comprise 11 unionists, four IPP candidates and four Sinn Féiners. In neighbouring Donegal, 11 Sinn Féin members, four nationalists and three unionists were returned.
Surprisingly, Sinn Féin also found some success in traditional strongholds of Carsonism. In North Antrim, for example, Louis Walsh, topped the poll for the county council. He claimed that the result showed that the protestants, whom he described as the most tolerant people in Ulster, were his friends.
The success of Sinn Féin in these local elections follows a strong performance in January’s municipal elections and comes just a year and a half after its historic performance in the 1918 general election.
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
