14th April 2000

---

Sinn Fein Assembly member meets Dublin Mayor

Upper Bann Sinn Fein MLA Dr Dara O'Hagan this morning met with Dublin Mayor Mary Freehill in Monaghan to invite her to witness first-hand the effects of the Orange Order siege on the people of the Garvaghy Road.

Dr O'Hagan said:

``Dublin Mayor Mary Freehill was due to visit Monaghan this morning on council business. Due to her perceived endorsement of the Orange Order the Sinn Fein grouping on the council arranged for me, as an elected representative for the Upper Bann area to meet with Mary Freehill to highlight the plight that the nationalist people of the Garvaghy Road have had to endure as a result of the Orange siege.

``Mary Freehill also met with representatives of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition who handed her a formal invitation to meet with the residents at a later date which she accepted and I also availed of the opportunity to invite her to visit Portadown and witness first-hand the siege which has been placed upon the nationalist people of the Garvaghy Road.

``We hope that Mary Freehill will accept this invitation and see for herself the truly sectarian nature of an Order which is based on anti-Catholicism and has been responsible for hundreds of years of intimidation and murder against Catholics.''

---

Sinn Fein Press Office, 44 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Tel: +353-1-8726100 and +353-1-8726839   ·   Fax +353-1-8733074
E-mail: sinnfein@irlnet.com   ·   Website: http://www.sinnfein.org

---

Sinn Fein   ·   Sinn Fein Documents

---