Sinn Fein candidates selected for East Derry are Cathal O'hOisin and Caoimhe Archibald

Sinn Féin have two candidates contesting the Assembly election in the East Derry constituency - Caoimhe Archibald and Cathal Ó hÓisín.
Cathal O'hOisin, Caoimhe Archibald, Martin McGuinness and Martina Anderson.Cathal O'hOisin, Caoimhe Archibald, Martin McGuinness and Martina Anderson.
Cathal O'hOisin, Caoimhe Archibald, Martin McGuinness and Martina Anderson.

Prior to his success in the 2011 Assembly elections, Cathal Ó hOisín was elected to Limavady Borough Council in 2005, serving as Sinn Féin Group Leader and Mayor of Limavady.

Cathal - who ran in the 2010 general Election polling 6,742 votes - was elected as an MLA for East Derry in 2011, retaining the single Sinn Féin seat in the constituency, previously held by Francie Brolly.

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Currently sitting on the Regional Development Committee and the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee in the Assembly, Cathal is also Assembly Private Secretary to Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle O’Neill.

“It is a massive honour to be chosen to be nominated again by my party,” said Mr O’hOisin.

“If successful, I will continue my work in pushing for the Dungiven bypass, to support every facet of educational provision and also Irish language development across the East Derry consituency, ensure the development of sporting facilities in the area including the Dungiven Sports facilities among many other issues.”

Caoimhe Archibald ran for East Derry in the 2015 general Election

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She is 34 years old and from Coleraine. She has been a Sinn Féin activist for over 10 years. Caoimhe is a past pupil of Loreto College and a graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast.

She qualified with a BSc in Molecular Biology and PhD by research sponsored by a DARD studentship. She also completed a PGDip in Management & Corporate Governance from the University of Ulster. She is a research scientist in agriculture and believes very strongly in the importance of investment in R&D and SMEs to enable local businesses to compete in a global market.

Speaking after submission of her nomination papers, Ms Archibald said: “We are here today with our party candidates from Foyle where we are hopeful of taking a third seat.

“This shows that Sinn Féin are a party on the rise and will be entering the Assembly again after the election with a renewed and even stronger mandate from the electorate continuing on from our success in the General Election in the South.

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“As a Sinn Féin representative, I will take an average industrial wage and strive to reach the high standards of accessibility and delivery our other representatives have proven by working from the grass roots up.”