SINN FÉIN LEADER Mary Lou McDonald has said she will meet with several other party leaders over the next week, and said she hopes to meet with Micheál Martin as government formation talks continue.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s This Week programme, McDonald criticised Martin and Fianna Fáil for not reaching out to Sinn Féin since the general election.

“They’ve talked to others, the only group that they steadfastly refuse to speak to is the second largest party in the Dáil,” McDonald said. 

“For Micheál Martin to look down his nose at over 400,000 people who voted for Sinn Féin, and to disregard those votes en masse is really a bad look” the Sinn Féin leader added.

Micheál Martin confirmed on Wednesday that Fianna Fáil has approached independent TDs who, he said, “clearly have a potential role” in the government formation negotiations.

It is now widely accepted that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will again form a government with a third party and both party leaders confirmed as much this week.

McDonald conceded that Sinn Féin had not made enough gains in the recent general election to enter government, but added that the election results had confirmed that 2020 “was not a flash in the pan” for the party.

“I think it confirms us as a significant, very potent force in political life here in south of the border,” McDonald said. “It confirms us as the leader of the opposition”.

McDonald added that Sinn Féin have a duty to “press” Fianna Fáil “to step away from failed, disastrous approaches that they have been pursuing with Fine Gael over the last number of years”.

“Our job is to, where we can, move heaven and earth to effect change, where change is so desperately needed in government policy,” McDonald said.

“Our job is to hold the government to account, to keep the pressure on, because we need substantive change. If we don’t affect that change, we will simply have a slow motion re run of the last five years”.

The Sinn Féin leader also ruled out rumours that she would run as Sinn Féin’s candidate for the upcoming presidential election in 2025.

McDonald said she was previously unaware of claims that she was planning to step down as party leader for a presidential bid, adding “I suppose column inches have to be filled and stories have to be told”.

“It’s not something at all that’s been on my horizon. I have a very busy and a very responsible role,” McDonald added.