Sinn Féin is the largest party at local government level in Dublin and will push to be the same nationally, party leader Gerry Adams said on Friday.

Mr Adams launched the election campaign in the Dublin Central constituency of Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald.

He said the party was the largest on Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council and the joint largest in Fingal.

“Where Sinn Féin is part of progressive alliances on Dublin councils we have delivered for the electorate,” he said.

Pledge

He said that property tax had been reduced by the maximum 15 per cent for two successive years and vowed that if elected to government, Sinn Féin would abolish the tax in its entirety.

“We have delivered an extra €21 million in funding for homeless services in the city. We have delivered additional money for social housing repairs, for the celebration of the centenary of the 1916 Rising and towards library services.

“Sinn Féin is delivering but local government is limited. That’s why we need a Sinn Féin-led government, with a strong team of Dublin Sinn Féin TDs that will deliver for Dublin,” he said.