Sinn Féin accused of trying to ‘avoid responsibility for its own failures’ after Plantation of Ulster comment

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has accused Sinn Féin of trying to “avoid responsibility for its own failures” after a former MP, Francie Molloy, said delays on the A5 can be linked to “obstruction from the landowners”, suggesting this has stemmed from the Plantation of Ulster.

The 58-mile (94km) A5 road upgrade project had originally been given the go-ahead by Stormont ministers in October 2024, however it has been repeatedly delayed due to court proceedings.

On Wednesday evening, a party spokesperson told BBC News NI that Francie Molloy “does not represent” Sinn Féin.

Earlier, DUP MLA Tom Buchanan said the A5 “has not been delayed because of events in 1609”.

“Reaching back more than 400 years to explain Sinn Féin’s inability to deliver a road in 2026 is the hallmark of a party that is increasingly divorced from reality and becoming ever more ridiculous in its attempts to blame others,” he said in a statement.

“The reasons for the delays are multifaceted, but the Plantation is not one of them,” Buchanan said.

The DUP MLA for West Tyrone issued his statement after former Sinn Féin MP Francie Molloy was earlier questioned on the party’s delivery of the A5 upgrade.

Molloy was asked on BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show if Sinn Féin’s base feel like the party is delivering. Presenter Stephen Nolan noted that it “hasn’t delivered the A5” and it “hasn’t delivered Casement Park”.

“Yeah it hasn’t and that a regrettable situation and I think the responsibility, again, not just on the British government but on the other parties to ensure that those structures are put in place,” Molloy said.

He went on to say that the issue “all goes back to the plantation of Ulster”.