Mr Controversy

His opponents throw plenty of mud at him, but Sinn Féin membership in Martin Ferris' constituency continues to grow and he is confident of being in Government soon.
The Kerry TD talks to Mary Regan

Martin Ferris has recently been accused by Justice Minister Michael McDowell of damaging the peace process by authorising the return of the Colombia Three. The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, has challenged him to "come clean" about the amount of money he and his party make from illegal oil dealing on the border, drug dealing and bank robberies. And he is constantly accused of IRA army council membership.

But Sinn Féin membership in his constituency continues to grow. He has two constituency offices in Co Kerry and has just opened a mobile office, which tours the rural parts of the county. The party has five councillors in Kerry, including his daughter, Toireasa, who is the Mayor of Kerry.

Ferris says the recent attacks against him highlight a political fear of the growing popularity of his party: "The PDs fear that Sinn Féin will be in a position to determine the next government," he says, "and Fine Gael jumping on the bandwagon is a reflection of the threat to all parties from Sinn Féin's electoral gains".

Ferris believes that his party will be in government soon, but says it is impossible to say if this will be in the next Dáil or not. He says that, other than comments made publicly by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, his party has not received any indication from any party that they would be interested in going into government with them. He says any decision to do so would be made by the party membership at Ard Fheiseanna.

Ferris has been in the media spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Once a fisherman in Kerry, he was imprisoned after being captured on board the Marita Ann in 1984 and spent ten years in jail for attempting to smuggle weapons for the IRA. He was criticised for holding onto his medical card after being elected to the Dáil, despite earning €72,000 a year, and has also been arrested on suspicion of vigilante activity. But the publicity that goes with him has created an invaluable profile for the party in Ireland.

This profile is likely to be carried on by his daughter, who is already Mayor of Kerry at the age of 25. Toireasa is completing a MA in human rights and criminal justice at Queen's University in Belfast, is a graduate of law and European studies at the University of Limerick and is a fluent Spanish and Irish speaker. "She has been political for most of her life, and in more recent years has done a lot of work as a political activist," Ferris says of his daughter, "whatever she decides to do in the future is up to herself."

As the party's spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development and Marine and Natural Resources, Ferris has been outspoken on the need to re-build rural communities that have become depopulated over the past decade. "The small to medium-sized family farm is almost extinct from the Irish landscape now. Small rural and fishing villages have suffered considerable losses," he says.

Despite the consistent allegations and accusations against him, Ferris, like many other Sinn Féin TDs, is not likely to be concerned for his seat in North Kerry: "It is a three-seater constituency, so it could be very marginal and we can't take anything for granted, But we have always worked hard to take the seat in Kerry and we have done everything to deliver a proper service to the people in the area."

He believes the party will increase its representation by four or five seats after the next election, a prediction that seems to be borne out the opinion polls. "All the parties know that we will make these gains, and hence the anti-Sinn Féin rhetoric emanating from certain quarters."