Sinn Fein to bring united Ireland pitch to European capitals

FILE PHOTO: Sinn Fein Party leader Mary Lou McDonald attending the three-day international conference at Queen's University Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Picture date: Tuesday April 18, 2023. Niall Carson/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

LISBON (Reuters) - The leader of Ireland's main opposition party Sinn Fein on Thursday said she would travel across Europe to seek support for a united Ireland in the run-up to a parliamentary election due within 18 months that her party is favourite to win.

Mary Lou McDonald, who is seeking to become the country's first female prime minister, was speaking during a two-day visit to Lisbon by a Sinn Fein delegation. She has previously said she was sure a referendum would happen in the next decade.