Sinn Féin has been given £1.5m in what is understood to be the largest ever known donation to a Northern Ireland political party.

The money was given to the party as a bequest by William E Hampton, a former motor mechanic and driver, who died in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

The party received two instalments of £1m and £500,000 in April and May 2019.

Sinn Féin told BBC News NI it was "obviously pleased" that Mr Hampton had given the money.

Belfast-based solicitor Pádraig Ó Muirigh oversaw the legal proceedings for the will.

He confirmed that Mr Hampton was born in London in December 1935, held a British passport and had been a "long-term supporter" of Sinn Féin.

Sinn Féin said the donation was a "positive boost... in working towards Irish unity and towards our political objectives".

"We are in full compliance with the requirements of the Electoral Commission on all of this," it added.

Image copyright Electoral Commission

Overall, other political parties in Northern Ireland received almost £338,000 in donations between April and June 2019.

The majority of that was provided through public funds from the House of Commons, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Electoral Commission.

Ann Watt, the head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, said the donation figures it had published "allows voters to clearly see how parties in Northern Ireland are funded".

"This transparency helps to enhance public confidence and trust in our democratic process," she added.

Public scrutiny

In March 2018, legislation was passed at Westminster to allow donations and loans of more than £7,500 to parties in Northern Ireland to be revealed.

However, the law only covers donations made to parties from 1 July 2017 onwards.

The decision not to back-date the publication of donations prompted criticism about transparency.

Previously the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) had been recorded as receiving the largest political donation given to a political party in Northern Ireland.

In June 2016, a pro-Brexit organisation known as the Constitutional Research Council (CRC) donated £435,000 to the DUP.

The bulk of the money was spent by the DUP on pro-Brexit advertising.