MARY LOU MCDONALD has confirmed that she will not attend the St. Patrick’s Day events in the White House this year. 

This will be the second year that the Sinn Féin leader has boycotted the trip to Washington DC. 

Last year, McDonald said the party made the decision “as a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza”.

The confirmation that she will not attend this year comes after an interview with The Journal over Christmas, where McDonald said she was “mindful” of the Irish-US relationship, but that her party may boycott the St Patrick’s Day visit again if the situation in Gaza did not improve.

In a statement this afternoon, McDonald said she would not attend the events at the White House this year as the situation on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank remains dire. 

“The reality is that for all of the talk of a ceasefire, Israeli attacks on Gaza have not ended. The genocide continues. Civilians are still being killed. Homes are still being struck. Families who have already lost everything continue to live under fire,” she said. 

She said peace in Palestine must mean the end of occupation, the end of apartheid-like systems of control and the full realisation of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on St Patrick's Day in 2022 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“The Good Friday Agreement has shown the world that it is possible to move out of conflict into a permanent peace. A better future for the people of Palestine and the people of Israel is possible. Peace is possible. Justice is possible.

“It is important that the eyes of the international community remain focused on what is happening in Palestine and it is important that Sinn Féin uses its voice to demand that international law is upheld and peace and justice prevail.

Related Reads

Taoiseach receives formal invitation from Donald Trump to visit the White House in March

Politicians are heading to 50 countries this March - who decides which minister goes where?

“The ties between the people of Ireland and the United States are of key importance. Sinn Féin has deep and enduring bonds that go back decades with those in the United States who played a key role in the peace process and in the campaign for Irish reunification,” she said 

McDonald said Sinn Féin will continue to work with senior representatives on Capitol Hill, the trade union movement, business leaders, Irish American organisations and the diaspora.

Two weeks ago, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said that she may not attend St Patrick’s Day events in the White House. 

Last year, the Sinn Féin president said she “absolutely believes” Taoiseach Micheál Martin should travel to Washington and to the White House.