When the [soon-to-be] former International Representative for west Belfast announced his intention to disappear over the border to Louth, he assured the Dundalk Democrat that
GERRY Adams will reside in County Louth if elected to Dail Eireann in this constituency.The Sinn Fein leader made the admission on a visit to The Dundalk Democrat on Monday.Many people had questioned his decision to run in County Louth despite not being from the area but Mr Adams said he will happily relocate here in order to do the job to the best of his ability.
“My family home is in West Belfast and it will remain there but I will live here in order to do the job as best I can and go home then whenever the chance allows it.”
[Gerry Adams] cited the Derry city-based Martin McGuinness and Sinn Féin Euro MP Bairbre de Brún, who calls Andersonstown her home, as examples of elected representatives successfully carrying out political duties in one area while living a considerable distance away in another.
“I’m clearly going to stay in Louth, the same way that Bairbre goes to Strasbourg and Brussels but comes back and lives in West Belfast, so I will still be about the place,” he said.
“My church is here. My GAA club is here. This is Antrim and I’m an Antrim supporter. All my connectiveness is here. I’ll work in Louth and I’ll stay there because you have to be available if they elect me, but I’ll be back here and I’ll still be very much a part of this community. My family home is here and I’m going to stay here.”
Potayto, potahto, tomayto, tomahto…
But although Martin McGuinness is elected to represent Mid Ulster, he travels to-and-from Stormont from his home in Londonderry.
And Bairbre de Brún is an MEP for Northern Ireland [including west Belfast]… so the “same way” in that case would be to go to Dublin but come back and live in Louth.
