Sinn Féin breakthrough in Údarás election

The Údarás na Gaeltachta elections last weekend saw another important step forward by Sinn Féin. The party won their first seat on the Údarás when Gráinne Mhic Géidigh in Donegal took a seat formerly held by the the late Neil Blaney's Independent Fianna Fáil group.

There are national implications in this result as it strengthens the challenge of Sinn Féin's Piaras Ó Dochartaigh in the general election and poses a question mark about the safety of Dinny McGinley's Fine Gael seat.

Fine Gael's vote was well down, though they managed to hold on to their seat here, with the Blaneyite Independent Fianna Fáil losing out, but McGinley is going to be hard-pressed in the general election in his Gaeltacht heartland.

At the same time, he'll have to look over his shoulder at whatever running mate the party chooses from the south of the constituency, around Donegal town.

And there was more bad news for Fine Gael when the party lost the seat in Conamara, previously held by the late Pól Ó Fóighil.

For Gaeltacht activists the most contentious issue was the way that both Fianna Fáil and the PDs brought out a strong vote from previously Irish-speaking areas which are now part of Galway city but which still have an Údarás vote, even though English is the language of that city.

Two out of the six elected in Galway were elected by city votes at the expense of genuinely Gaeltacht areas, such as the Aran Islands.

This will intensify pressures for a redrawing of the Gaeltacht borders, and pressure also to ensure that small Gaeltacht areas – such as Uíbh Ráthach in Kerry, Tuar Mhic Éadaigh in Mayo and the Aran Islands in Galway – should have guaranteed individual representation like that enjoyed by Ring in Waterford and by the Meath Gaeltacht. From a national perspective, however, apart from the strong Sinn Féin showing in Donegal, the PDs' Galway achievement in harnessing such a strong city vote bodes well for the party's TD, Noel Grealish, in the general election.

Fianna Fáil have maintained their strong dominant position, with eight out of seventeen; Fine Gael's representation has dropped from five to four; Labour have held their seat, and are now joined by Sinn Féin and the PDs with two Independents making up the rest.

Eoin Ó Murchú