Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
american friends
Sinn Féin has made a lot of money from its American friends
The party’s American fundraising arm had expenses of €150,000 from May-October.
SINN FÉIN RECEIVED donations of just over €57,000 in the US in the six months to October of this year.
The finances of the party’s American fundraising arm, Friends of Sinn Féin, are documented in the organisation’s latest submissions the US Department of Justice.
The form, which can be viewed here, also notes that the organisations had expenses of $169,276.59 (€150,374) from 1 May to 31 October.
Some $54,200 (about €51,329) was spent on programme expenses, $31,800 (€30,115) on payroll and $13,900 (€12,165) on rent.
Friends of Sinn Féin’s headquarters is located on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
The biggest donor was Thomas Devlin from Newton in Massachusetts. He gave $10,000 (€9,475). Friends of Sinn Féin president James Cullen is among those who donated $5,000 (€4,734).
Some €54,000 was listed as ‘fundraising event revenue’.
The money raised does not include the estimated $400,000 (€378,000) raised at the Friends of Sinn Féin dinner in New York in November.
Speaking last month, party leader Gerry Adams said:
“We’re very proud of our engagement with the diaspora and particularly with Irish-Americans.
“They want to support what’s happening here and given that they were joined by whatever proportion of the half-a-million of people who were scattered out of this state because of the government’s polices, they want to see a different setup here and they’re playing their part in all of that.”
have your say