“If and when there is an issue around the leadership, I would consider that seriously at that point, but it is an extremely tough job, and there are very big shoes in that scenario to be filled,” said Mary Lou McDonald smiling, while being interviewed by irishmokefill.com.

Obviously, “the very big shoes,” she is talking about, belong to her leader, Gerry Adams.

“It would be difficult for anyone. Gerry came out of the assembly, and now he is in the Dail, and has immersed himself in that, that’s not an easy thing to do, and people who criticise him and slag him off often, I’m not sure how well they would fare, if they make a similar type of journey,” said the Sinn Fein deputy leader, in Athlone at the weekend.

Deputy McDonald said she will be running again in Dublin Central at the next General Election, and that will be a much bigger task for her, because of the constituency being cut from four seats to three.  However all the pundits would see her retaining that seat.

“I’ve won elections, and lost elections, and I can’t take anything for granted,” said the Deputy Leader.

She appeared at a dinner dance in Athlone alongside Cllr. Paul Hogan, who is a town councillor.  Hogan got 4,339 first preference votes at the 2011 General Election, and missed out on being the party’s first ever seat in Longford/Westmeath, since Ruairi O’Bradaigh in 1957.  Deputy McDonald also appeared alongside Monaghan councillor, Matt Carty, who is the party’s candidate in Midlands-North West in next year’s European elections.