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Elections

Bairbre de Brun with some of Sinn Fein's west Belfast representatives

Bairbre de Brun with some of Sinn Fein's west Belfast representatives

Sinn Fein MEP Bairbre de Brun has been selected as the party's candidate for the North of Ireland for the European elections in 2009.

Ms de Brun, a west Belfast resident and republican activist for the past 30 years, was unopposed in the selection convention which was held in the Europa Hotel on Thursday, 9 October.

Hundreds of Sinn Fein activists, elected representatives and supporters packed the hall to hear contributions from the Sinn Fein president and west Belfast MP, Gerry Adams, the minister for regional development, Conor Murphy, and from Bairbre de Brun.

The assembled crowd, from every part of the Six Counties, was welcomed to Belfast by the Sinn Fein mayor, councillor Tom Hartley.

Dublin MEP and Sinn Fein chairperson, Mary Lou McDonald, chaired the proceedings.

Video messages of support for Ms de Brun from Michelle Gildernew, Minister and MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone, Martina Anderson, Ex POW and MLA, republican leader Bobby Storey and others were screened.

Ms de Brun, in her acceptance speech, said:

'It is a great honour to be re-selected to represent the party in the European elections in June of next year.

'I believe it is a testament to the hard work of the Sinn Féin team in Europe.

'Sinn Féin is contesting this election to win, to return a Sinn Féin MEP for the Six Counties as part of Sinn Féin's all-Ireland team in the European Parliament.

'And it is with hard work that we will ensure that yet again we elect a Sinn Féin representative from the Six Counties to what will hopefully be an even bigger team for Europe in 2009.

'Since being elected to Europe I have worked hard to bring hundreds of people across, to engage directly with the Parliament - from bringing relatives of those murdered by the British State to Brussels so that their voice can be heard by political leaders from across Europe; to engaging with farmers and fishermen, the Trade Union sector, women's organisations, disability rights advocates, families of those with autism and those bereaved through suicide.

'It is vital that we have a Republican voice in Europe; vital that we can be a voice for Irish people in Europe because if we are not there then here at home our communities will lose out.

'I have worked tirelessly on issues such as climate change, the Irish language and economic development for all areas right across the constituency.

'We have led the way on international solidarity with other communities in the midst of conflict - with support for Palestine and support for tentative moves towards peace and reconciliation in Cyprus and in the Basque Country.

'Bhí mé lánpháirteach san fheachtais ar son STÁDAS cuí a fháil don Ghaeilge mar teanga oifigiúl agus oibre sen Aontás Eorpach.

'As everyone who knows me will acknowledge, I am a proud Gael and I have fought the battle at an EU level to ensure that Irish takes its rightful place among the working languages of the EU.

'Indeed my recent report on evaluating the EU PEACE programme was the first ever European Parliament report produced in the Irish language.

'Our engagement with Europe must be about social justice and rights for workers, older people, people with disabilities and it is about promoting the rights of indigenous people, their culture and their language.

'This campaign is about asserting peoples rights both at home here in Ireland and the heart of Europe; because lets be honest if we don't do it, who will?'