Recruitment numbers up in NUI Maynooth

Ógra Shinn Féin were a familiar presence in NUI Maynooth on Wednesday 30th September at the annual clubs and societies day. Ógra activists distributed leaflets calling on students to join Sinn Féin and also ones on third level fees.

The Lisbon campaign was high on the agenda amongst the other political societies on campus yet ÓSF and another group calling for a NO vote where told they were not to distribute Lisbon literature, despite the fact that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were displaying large ‘vote yes’ posters and handing out their own yes literature.

Not to be ones who support political censorship, ÓSF defied the order and distributed their leaflets, and indeed many students took the time out to engage with our activists on the issue of Lisbon and what a NO vote would mean.



Students also were attracted by the Ógra desk flying a Basque flag and also engaged on the subject of Spanish state oppression and the plights of the two Belfast based Basques fighting extradition. As always Sinn Féin proved to be a popular choice for those seeking to join a political party, as one of our activists explained to many students; we are the only party relevant to young people and to students and that many of our leaders like Toireasa Ferris, and Pearse Doherty, where student activists in their time in university.

The new freshers pack and the freshers DVD also helped to recruit more names, and the NUIM cumann are confident of having a strong and active cumann on campus in the forthcoming academic year.

Speaking on the day Ógra activist Cathal Donnelly said,

“I am delighted with the contribution we have made to the freshers fayre in NUIM this year. Coupled with distributing literature on republican issues we provided the new first year students with the opportunity to get active and opposing the fees being proposed by the Fianna Fáil minister Batt O'Keefe who was heckled by ÓSF activists when he visited the campus last year. I am confident we can provide a strong republican voice for the students of Maynooth for the upcoming year and we hope to have a strong presence at the upcoming ÓSF National Congress in Belfast”.