Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she has detected a change in tempo in the Irish election campaign, with momentum gathering behind her party.

Buoyed by improved polling ratings in recent days – an uptick that has been accompanied by an apparent slide in support for one of her main rivals, Fine Gael – Ms McDonald was in upbeat mood as she canvassed in Dublin South Central ahead of Tuesday’s potentially crucial final leaders’ TV debate.

“We have three sleeps, four days to change the government,” she told reporters.

“I, certainly, and we have felt a change in the tempo and the momentum across the campaign over the last week, the last 10 days.

“I think increasingly people appreciate that it is possible to change the government, and we’re asking people to come out on Friday to do that.

“We know that the cost of living is one of the key issues that has arisen on doorsteps. The reality is that whilst inflation and the runaway inflation has stopped and has moderated, that people are still struggling, still suffering.”

The Sinn Fein leader said change was not “just a nice idea”.

“Change is now absolutely necessary to prevent us from going around in circles, election after election, the same government in different form, coming and going, and then people are left with the same problems. Society is left with the same deficit,” she said.

Ms McDonald said she was feeling “good”.

“I am absolutely sure that we cannot afford another five years of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail,” she said.

The leader of the main opposition party added: “I want to strike a note of hope, a note of optimism, a note of purpose, but also a note of challenge – that if it is the thing that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail return back to government, you can expect house prices to continue to climb, rents continue to climb, people and families still left struggling under the burden of a cost-of-living crisis.

“Their manifestos are in essence a list of all of the things that they failed to do over the last number of years, and they now think are great ideas. If they’re good ideas, they have had the chance again and again and again to deliver them.

“This election is about a change that is necessary and timely to allow us our chance in Sinn Fein to deliver on the plans and the proposals that we have.”