Ruairí Ó Murchú is elected in Louth: "What we really want to do is be in power in this state"

"This has been a long day and it’s been a very intense number of weeks. I’m absolutely delighted for myself Antoin and Joanna, it’s an endorsement of the local work being done by Sinn Fein and beyond that what we offer to the electorate.

"Don’t get me wrong, I wish that we were delivering three seats here but the Sinn Fein message resonated throughout the entirety of this particular campaign. 

"I’d like to thank my colleagues and obviously I’ve been elected on Antoin Watters's surplus, but that’s what we do, we work as a team and we’re trying to go out there and sell ourselves as a team and that's the payoff.

"That payoff is about delivering for people on the issues that are still going to be issues tomorrow in relation to childcare, in relation to healthcare and mental health services particularly in this part of the world. Housing, it goes without saying we’re in a crisis that’s impacting a huge amount of people’s lives.

"I don’t know the amount of people that come into my constituency office [talking about] kids who have gone to Australia or they’re living in the box room and that’s whether they’re waiting on a council house or an affordable mortgage, people who have jobs and usually would have been able to do that."

On Sinn Fein’s performance nationally he said: "Obviously we’re going to see what the outworkings are of the numbers, as much as we would like it to be better, we’ll have conversations with all the other political parties, and a number of people have called on progressive parties to work together.

"And let’s be clear Sinn Fein is also a republican party, it is also about delivering a united Ireland.  I think we are closer than  we ever have been in relation to that but there’s been an abject failure of the government to do the preparatory work. Even if you thought a united Ireland was a bad idea but you thought it was possible you would at least do the preparatory work.

"I am going to work as an advocate, whether that be in opposition or whether we’re lucky enough to be in government in relation to those people who come with those very specific issues.

"What we really want to do is be in power in this state and in Ireland with a point of view of improving people’s lives because that is what it’s about."