Sinn Féin has surged clear as the most popular party in the country in the latest political opinion poll.
Mary Lou McDonald's party has opened up a 10-point lead on its nearest rivals Fine Gael, according to the latest Behaviour and Attitudes poll for The Sunday Times.
It puts the Opposition party ahead just weeks before the expected by-election in Dublin Bay South.
All three Government parties have lost support, with Fine Gael down four points to 24 per cent support, Fianna Fáil dropping two to 20 per cent and the Green Party falling a point to four per cent support.
Sinn Féin are the ones to benefit most from the slide away from the Government rising to 34 per cent support — a four point jump since May’s poll.
The previous poll had suggested that the Government could be seeing the early effects of a vaccine bonus, with a small boost in support for Government parties Fine Gael and the Green Party.
Polling posing
The latest poll was conducted between May 27th and June 8th, with a margin of error of 3.3 per cent.
It sees Labour drop one point to three per cent support and the Social Democrats jump two points to four per cent support.
Solidarity People Before Profit support remains unchanged at one per cent, Aontu also sits at one per cent while independent politicians hold nine per cent of the vote.
The poll results come after at least four of Ireland’s major political parties admitted to their volunteers posing as members of independent polling companies.
It emerged that members of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and Sinn Féin previously polled the public during elections, while hiding the fact they worked for a political party.
