Sligo/North Leitrim - Seán Mac Manus
Seán Mac Manus lives in Sligo with his wife Helen who is a native of Glenfarne, Co. Leitrim. Seán is a member of both Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council and is the Sinn Fein candidate in Sligo/North Leitrim in the forthcoming general election. Recognised as the senior republican representative in the North West, Seán has been active in Sinn Fein since the seventies.
Seán received 5,001 first preference votes in the 2002 General Election in the Sligo/Leitrim constituency and has also contested the European elections in the Connaught/Ulster constituency. He was the party's main spokesperson during the first referendum on the Nice Treaty, which was rejected by the people. He is also a senior member of the party's peace process negotiating team
Mayor of Sligo in 2000 and again in 2004, he has been the promoter of numerous initiatives to help develop Sligo including the North West Economic Forum, the retention of Borough status for Sligo and the "Save Lisadell" campaign. Sean is also recognised as a leading campaigner on local health issues, he was the first politician in this area to raise issues such as the lack of "Breastcheck" and radiotherapy in Sligo General Hospital
Seán served on the party's Ard Comhairle (National Executive) for many years and was National Chairperson of the party from 1984 to 1990. He has played a central part in developing the party's current peace strategy and was instrumental in developing its local government policy. He has been an important member of many delegations in meetings with British Cabinet ministers, including with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street. He has also extensively represented Sinn Fein throughout North America and Europe.
Seán also participated in the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation which was organised by the Irish Government following the IRA cessation of August 1994.
