Mary Lou McDonald has said she 'hopes' Sinn Féin leadership will visit Washington DC for St Patrick’s Day this year following last year’s boycott. GenocideSinn Féin announced that Ms McDonald and the North’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill would boycott the traditional St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington DC in 2025 due to concerns about US President Donald Trump’s handling of Israel’s war on Gaza. Ms McDonald told the Irish Examiner that she “hopes that we will be in a position to go” to DC this year. Triple LockElsewhere, Ms McDonald said Sinn Féin will continue to push back against the Government’s plans to amend the “Triple Lock” by removing the requirement for the UN to approve Irish peacekeeping missions. Ms McDonald denied that opposing changes to the Triple Lock was naïve, stating that successive governments had shown “gross irresponsibility” by “running down our capabilities”.

Source: Irish Examiner December 31, 2025 14:40 UTC