Editing Sinn Féin (section)

==History==
{{main|History of Sinn Féin}}

===1905–1922===
{{Main|Easter Rising|1918 Irish general election|Irish War of Independence|Irish Civil War}}
[[File:Arthur Griffith (1871-1922).jpg|thumb|Arthur Griffith is credited as the main founder of the party]]
Sinn Féin was founded on 28 November 1905, when, at the first annual Convention of the National Council, [[Arthur Griffith]] outlined the Sinn Féin policy, "to establish in Ireland's capital a national legislature endowed with the moral authority of the Irish nation".<ref name="MacDonncha12"/>{{sfn|Griffith|1904|page=161}} Its initial political platform was both [[Conservatism|conservative]] and [[Monarchism|monarchist]], advocating for an Anglo-Irish [[dual monarchy]] unified with the British [[The Crown|Crown]] (inspired by the [[Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867]]).{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=32–3}}{{sfn|Griffith|1904}} The party contested the [[1908 North Leitrim by-election]], where it secured 27% of the vote.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=49–50}} Thereafter, both support and membership fell. At its 1910 ''ard fheis'' (party conference) attendance was poor, and there was difficulty finding members willing to take seats on the executive.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=52–54}}

[[File:McGuinness- 1917 election.jpg|thumb|The campaign car of [[Joseph McGuinness]], who won the 1917 [[South Longford (UK Parliament constituency)|South Longford]] by-election whilst imprisoned. He was one of the first Sinn Féin MPs to be elected.]]

In 1914, Sinn Féin members, including Griffith, joined the anti-Redmond [[Irish Volunteers]], which was referred to by [[John Redmond|Redmondites]] and others as the "Sinn Féin Volunteers". Although Griffith himself did not take part in the [[Easter Rising]] of 1916, many Sinn Féin members who were members of the Volunteers and the [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]] did. Government and newspapers dubbed the Rising "the Sinn Féin Rising".{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=56–57}} After the Rising, [[Irish republicanism|republicans]] came together under the banner of Sinn Féin, and at the 1917 ''ard fheis'' the party committed itself for the first time to the establishment of an [[Irish Republic]]. In the [[1918 Irish general election|1918 general election]], Sinn Féin won 73 of Ireland's 105 seats, and in January 1919, its MPs assembled in Dublin and proclaimed themselves [[First Dáil|Dáil Éireann]], the parliament of Ireland. Sinn Féin candidate [[Constance Markievicz]] became the first woman elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom House of Commons]]. However, in line with Sinn Féin [[abstentionism|abstentionist]] policy, she did not take her seat in the House of Commons.<ref>{{cite web |title=Archives – The First Women MPs |website=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] |url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/parliamentary-archives/explore-guides-to-documentary-archive-/archives-highlights/archives-the-suffragettes/archives-the-first-women-in-parliament-1919-1945 |access-date=23 November 2018 |archive-date=7 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007183548/https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/parliamentary-archives/explore-guides-to-documentary-archive-/archives-highlights/archives-the-suffragettes/archives-the-first-women-in-parliament-1919-1945/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The party supported the [[Irish Republican Army (1919–1922)|Irish Republican Army]] during the [[Irish War of Independence|War of Independence]], and members of the Dáil government negotiated the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] with the British government in 1921. In the Dáil debates that followed, the party divided on the Treaty. The pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty components (led by [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]] and [[Éamon de Valera]] respectively) managed to agree on a "Coalition Panel" of Sinn Féin candidates to stand in the [[1922 Irish general election|1922 general election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1922-05-20/2 |title=NATIONAL COALITION PANEL JOINT STATEMENT. – Dáil Éireann (2nd Dáil) – Saturday, 20 May 1922 |website=Houses of the Oireachtas |date=20 May 1922 |access-date=4 November 2020 |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108080043/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1922-05-20/2/ |url-status=live}}</ref> After the election, anti-Treaty members walked out of the Dáil, and pro- and anti-Treaty members took opposite sides in the ensuing [[Irish Civil War|Civil War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/profiles/po18.shtml |title=1916 Easter Rising – Profiles: Sinn Féin |date=24 September 2014 |website=BBC History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925060550/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/profiles/po18.shtml |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===1923–1970===
Pro-Treaty Dáil deputies and other Treaty supporters formed a new party, [[Cumann na nGaedheal]], on 27 April 1923 at a meeting in Dublin, where delegates agreed on a constitution and political programme.{{sfn|Gallagher|1985|loc=Front cover}} Cumann na nGaedheal went on to govern the new [[Irish Free State]] for nine years (it merged with two other organisations to form [[Fine Gael]] in 1933).<ref>Ruth Dudley Edwards and Bridget Hourican, ''An Atlas of Irish History'', Routledge, 2005, {{ISBN|978-0-415-27859-1}}, pp. 97–98.</ref> Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin members continued to boycott the Dáil. At a special ''Ard Fheis'' in March 1926, de Valera proposed that elected members be allowed to take their seats in the Dáil if and when the controversial [[Oath of Allegiance (Ireland)|Oath of Allegiance]] was removed. When his motion was defeated, de Valera resigned from Sinn Féin; on 16 May 1926, he founded his own party, [[Fianna Fáil]], which was dedicated to republicanising the Free State from within its political structures. He took most Sinn Féin [[Teachtaí Dála]] (TDs) with him.{{sfn|Coogan|2000|pages=77–78}} De Valera's resignation meant also the loss of financial support from America.<ref>The Times, ''Southern Irish Elections'', 6 June 1927.</ref> The rump Sinn Féin party could field no more than fifteen candidates,<ref name="Times270602">The Times, ''350 Candidates For 152 Seats'', 2 June 1927.</ref> and won only five seats in the [[June 1927 Irish general election|June 1927 general election]], a decline in support not seen since before 1916.{{sfn|Laffan|1999|page=443}}<ref name="Times270830">[[The Times]], ''Mr. Cosgrave and the Oath'', 30 August 1927.</ref> Vice-president and {{lang|la|[[de facto]]}} leader [[Mary MacSwiney]] announced that the party simply did not have the funds to contest [[September 1927 Irish general election|the second election called that year]], declaring "no true Irish citizen can vote for any of the other parties".<ref name="Times270830" /> Fianna Fáil came to power at the [[1932 Irish general election|1932 general election]] (to begin what would be an unbroken 16-year spell in government) and went on to long dominate politics in the independent Irish state.

An attempt in the 1940s to access funds that had been put in the care of the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]] led to the [[Sinn Féin Funds case]], which the party lost and in which the judge ruled that it was not the legal successor to the Sinn Féin of 1917.{{sfn|Laffan|1999|page=450}}

By the late 1940s, two decades removed from the Fianna Fáil split and now the Sinn Féin funds lost, the party was little more than a husk. The emergence of a popular new republican party, led by former IRA members, in [[Clann na Poblachta]], threatened to void any remaining purpose Sinn Féin had left. However, it was around this same time that the IRA leadership once again sought to have a political arm (the IRA and Sinn Féin had effectively no formal ties following the civil war).{{sfn|Gallagher|1985|p=94}} Following an IRA army convention in 1948, IRA members were instructed to join Sinn Féin en masse and by 1950 they had successfully taken total control of the party, with IRA army council member [[Paddy McLogan]] named as the new president of the party. As part of this rapprochement, it was later made clear by the army council that the IRA would dictate to Sinn Féin, and not the other way around.{{sfn|O'Brien|2019|loc=The next year, 1949, saw another development, also to become significant over time. Sinn Féin and the IRA reformed their alliance, Sinn Féin accepting that the IRA Army Council held the powers of the government of the Republic and as such was the 'supreme authority. Infiltration and control of Sinn Féin became IRA policy and in 1950 Paddy McLogan was elected Sinn Féin President. Within the IRA Tony Magan set about stamping his authority on the organisation, at times forcing out some of its most dedicated people, including Willie McGuinness, and winning broad if grudging support for his harshest disciplinary actions.}}{{sfn|Sanders|2011|page=16}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/othelem/organ/docs/ryan01.htm |title='The Birth of the Provisionals – A Clash between Politics and Tradition' by Patrick Ryan (2001) |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |date=2001 |website= |publisher= |access-date= |quote=The precise nature of the relationship between the IRA and Sinn Féin had been outlined during an IRA / Sinn Féin summit on 13 May 1962 when a confrontation between erstwhile Sinn Féin president Paddy McLogan and the IRA army council over the termination of the movement's armed campaign had brought matters to ahead. It was now to be formally acknowledged that "the army council was the supreme government of the Republic and the supreme authority in the republican movement" and furthermore that Sinn Féin although an "autonomous and independent organisation" paradoxically had to ensure that its policy coincided at all times with that of the Army Council if it wished to remain a viable part of the republican movement. This definition of the subservient role to be played by Sinn Féin, although it led to some prominent resignations, McLogan and Tony Magan included, was largely representative of the general belief in the republican movement that politics was an alien concept, useful at times, but to be generally regarded with suspicion. |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201093202/https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/othelem/organ/docs/ryan01.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
          
At the [[1955 United Kingdom general election]], two Sinn Féin candidates were elected to Westminster, and likewise, four members of Sinn Féin were elected to Leinster House in the [[1957 Irish general election]]. In December 1956, at the beginning of the IRA's [[Border campaign (Irish Republican Army)|Border Campaign (Operation Harvest)]], the Northern Ireland Government banned Sinn Féin under the [[Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Act (Northern Ireland) 1922|Special Powers Act]]; it would remain banned until 1974.{{sfn|Bourne|2018|pages=46–49}} By the end of the Border campaign five years later, the party had once again lost all national representation.{{sfn|Patterson|2006|page=180}} Through the 1960s, some leading figures in the movement, such as [[Cathal Goulding]], [[Seán Garland]], [[Billy McMillen]], [[Tomás Mac Giolla]], moved steadily to the left, even to [[Marxism]], as a result of their own reading and thinking and contacts with the Irish and international left. This angered more traditional republicans, who wanted to stick to the national question and armed struggle.{{sfn|Hanley|Millar|2009|pages=70–148}} The Garland Commission was set up in 1967, to investigate the possibility of ending abstentionism. Its report angered the already disaffected traditional republican element within the party, notably [[Seán Mac Stíofáin]] and Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, who viewed such a policy as treason against the Irish Republic.{{sfn|White|2006|page=119}}

===1970–1975===
[[File:Ruairí Ó Brádaigh 2004.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ruairí Ó Brádaigh]] (pictured in 2004) was the president of Provisional Sinn Féin from 1970 until 1983.]]
Sinn Féin split in two at the beginning of 1970. On 11 January, the proposal to end abstentionism and take seats, if elected, in the Dáil, the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]] and the Parliament of the United Kingdom was put before the members at the party's ''Ard Fheis''.{{sfn|Anderson|2002|page=186}} A similar motion had been adopted at an IRA convention the previous month, leading to the formation of a Provisional Army Council by Mac Stíofáin and other members opposed to the leadership. When the motion was put to the ''Ard Fheis'', it failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority. The Executive attempted to circumvent this by introducing a motion in support of IRA policy, at which point the dissenting delegates walked out of the meeting.<ref>Taylor (1998), p. 67</ref> These members reconvened at Kevin Barry Hall in [[Parnell Square]], where they appointed a Caretaker Executive with Ruairí Ó Brádaigh as chairman.{{sfn|White|2017|page=67}} The Caretaker Executive's first act was to pass a [[Resolution (debate)|resolution]] pledging allegiance to the 32-county Irish Republic and the Provisional Army Council.{{sfn|Mac Stíofáin|1975|page=150}} It also declared itself opposed to the ending of abstentionism, the drift towards "extreme forms of socialism", the failure of the leadership to defend the nationalist people of Belfast during the [[1969 Northern Ireland riots]], and the expulsion of traditional republicans by the leadership during the 1960s.<ref>[[J. Bowyer Bell]], ''The Secret Army: The IRA'', pp. 366–368.</ref>

At its October 1970 ''Ard Fheis'', delegates were informed that an IRA convention had been held and had regularised its structure, bringing to an end the "provisional" period.<ref>Peter Taylor, Provos, p. 87.</ref> By then, however, the label "Provisional" or "Provo" was already being applied to them by the media.{{sfn|Adams|1996|page=149}} The opposing, anti-abstentionist party became known as "Official Sinn Féin".{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=252}} It changed its name in 1977 to "Sinn Féin—The Workers' Party",{{sfn|Hanley|Millar|2009|pages=70–148}} and in 1982 to "[[Workers' Party (Ireland)|The Workers' Party]]".{{sfn|Sinnott|1995|page=59}}

Because the "Provisionals" were committed to military rather than political action, Sinn Féin's initial membership was largely confined, in [[Danny Morrison (Irish republican)|Danny Morrison]]'s words, to men "over military age or women".{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=259–260}} A Sinn Féin organiser of the time in [[Belfast]] described the party's role as "agitation and publicity"{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=259–260}} New ''cumainn'' (branches) were established in Belfast, and a new newspaper, ''[[Republican News]]'', was published.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=261}} Sinn Féin took off as a protest movement after the introduction of [[Operation Demetrius|internment]] in August 1971, organising marches and pickets.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=271}} The party launched its platform, ''[[Éire Nua]]'' ("a New Ireland") at the 1971 ''Ard Fheis''.<ref>Taylor, p. 104.</ref> In general, however, the party lacked a distinct political philosophy. In the words of Brian Feeney, "Ó Brádaigh would use Sinn Féin ''ard fheiseanna'' (party conferences) to announce republican policy, which was, in effect, IRA policy, namely that Britain should leave the North or the 'war' would continue".{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=272}}

In May 1974, a few months after the [[Sunningdale Agreement]], the ban on Sinn Féin was lifted by the UK [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]].{{sfn|Bourne|2018|pages=46–49}} Sinn Féin was given a concrete presence in the community when the [[Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1970–79)#1975|IRA declared a ceasefire in 1975]]. 'Incident centres', manned by Sinn Féin members, were set up to communicate potential confrontations to the British authorities.<ref>Taylor pp. 184, 165.</ref>

From 1976, there was a broadcasting ban on Sinn Féin representatives in the Republic of Ireland, after the [[Minister for Posts and Telegraphs]], [[Conor Cruise O'Brien]], amended [[Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act]]. This prevented [[RTÉ]] interviewing Sinn Féin spokespersons under any circumstances, even where the subject was not related to the Northern Ireland conflict.{{sfn|Maillot|2005|page=75}} This lasted until 1994.

===1976–1983===
Political status for prisoners became an issue after the ending of the truce. Rees released the last of the internees, and ended '[[Special Category Status]]' for all prisoners convicted after 1 March 1976. This led first to the [[blanket protest]], and then to the [[dirty protest]].{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=277–279}} Around the same time, [[Gerry Adams]] began writing for ''Republican News'', calling for Sinn Féin to become more involved politically.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=275}} Over the next few years, Adams and those aligned with him would extend their influence throughout the republican movement and slowly marginalise Ó Brádaigh, part of a general trend of power in both Sinn Féin and the IRA shifting north.{{sfn|O'Brien|1995|pages=[https://archive.org/details/longwarirasinnfe00obri/page/n114 113]–}} In particular, Ó Brádaigh's part in the 1975 IRA ceasefire had damaged his reputation in the eyes of northern republicans.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ruairi-o-bradaigh-ira-leader-who-believed-fervently-in-armed-struggle-8648303.html |title=Ruairi O Bradaigh: IRA leader who believed fervently in armed struggle |date=6 June 2013 |first=David |last=McKittrick |author-link=David McKittrick |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=London |language=en |access-date=11 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206214220/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ruairi-o-bradaigh-ira-leader-who-believed-fervently-in-armed-struggle-8648303.html |archive-date=6 December 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The prisoners' protest climaxed with the [[1981 Irish hunger strike|1981 hunger strike]], during which striker [[Bobby Sands]] was elected Member of Parliament for [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|Fermanagh and South Tyrone]] as an [[Anti H-Block]] candidate. After his death on hunger strike, his seat was held, with an increased vote, by his election agent, [[Owen Carron]]. Two other Anti H-Block candidates were elected to [[Dáil Éireann]] in the [[1981 Irish general election|general election in the Republic]]. These successes convinced republicans that they should contest every election.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|pages=290–291}} Danny Morrison expressed the mood at the 1981 ''Ard Fheis'' when he said:
{{blockquote|Who here really believes we can win the war through the ballot box? But will anyone here object if, with a ballot paper in this hand and an [[ArmaLite|Armalite]] in the other, we take power in Ireland?<ref name="Taylor 1997, pp. 281–2">Taylor (1997), pp. 281–282.</ref>}}
This was the origin of what became known as the [[Armalite and ballot box strategy]]. Ó Brádaigh's chief policy, a plan for a federalised Irish state dubbed ''[[Éire Nua]]'', was dropped in 1982, and the following year Ó Brádaigh stepped down as president, and was replaced by Adams.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=321}}

=== 1983–1998===
[[File:Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.jpg|thumb|Under the political leadership of [[Gerry Adams]] and [[Martin McGuinness]] (pictured 2016), Sinn Féin adopted a reformist policy, eventually leading to the [[Good Friday Agreement]].]]
Under Adams' leadership electoral politics became increasingly important. In 1983 [[Alex Maskey]] was elected to [[Belfast City Council]], the first Sinn Féin member to sit on that body.{{sfn|Murray|Tonge|2005|page=153}} Sinn Féin polled over 100,000 votes in the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|Westminster elections that year]], and Adams won the [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|West Belfast]] seat that had been held by the [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] (SDLP).{{sfn|Murray|Tonge|2005|page=153}} [[1985 Northern Ireland local elections#Overall|By 1985]] it had 59 seats on seventeen of the 26 Northern Ireland councils, including seven on Belfast City Council.{{sfn|Murray|Tonge|2005|page=155}}

The party began a reappraisal of the policy of abstention from the Dáil. At the 1983 ''Ard Fheis'' the constitution was amended to remove the ban on the discussion of abstentionism to allow Sinn Féin to run a candidate in the forthcoming European elections. However, in his address, Adams said, "We are an abstentionist party. It is not my intention to advocate change in this situation."{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=326}} A motion to permit entry into the Dáil was allowed at the 1985 ''Ard Fheis'', but did not have the active support of the leadership, and it failed narrowly.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=328}} By October of the following year an IRA Convention had indicated its support for elected Sinn Féin TDs taking their seats. Thus, when the motion to end abstention was put to the ''Ard Fheis'' on 1 November 1986, it was clear that there would not be a split in the IRA as there had been in 1970.{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=331}} The motion was passed with a two-thirds majority. Ó Brádaigh and about twenty other delegates walked out, and met in a Dublin hotel with hundreds of supporters to re-organise as [[Republican Sinn Féin]].{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=333}}

In October 1988, the British Conservative government followed the Republic in banning broadcasts of Sinn Féin representatives. Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] said it would "deny terrorists the oxygen of publicity". Broadcasters quickly found ways around the ban, mainly by using actors to dub the voices of banned speakers. The legislation did not apply during election campaigns and under certain other circumstances. The ban lasted until 1994.<ref>{{cite news |title=The 'broadcast ban' on Sinn Féin |work=[[BBC News]] |first=Francis |last=Welch |date=5 April 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4409447.stm |access-date=21 June 2013 |archive-date=26 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726210043/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4409447.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tentative negotiations between Sinn Féin and the British government led to more substantive discussions with the SDLP in the 1990s. Multi-party negotiations began in 1994 in Northern Ireland, without Sinn Féin. The Provisional IRA declared a ceasefire in August 1994. Sinn Féin then joined the talks, but the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government under [[John Major]] soon came to depend on unionist votes to remain in power. It suspended Sinn Féin from the talks, and began to insist that the IRA decommission all of their weapons before Sinn Féin be re-admitted to the talks; this led to the IRA calling off its ceasefire. The new [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government of [[Tony Blair]] was not reliant on unionist votes and re-admitted Sinn Féin, leading to another, permanent, ceasefire.{{sfn|Murray|Tonge|2005|pages=193–194}}

The talks led to the [[Good Friday Agreement]] of 10 April 1998, which set up an inclusive devolved government in Northern Ireland, and altered the Dublin government's constitutional claim to the whole island in [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland]]. Republicans opposed to the direction taken by Sinn Féin in the peace process formed the [[32 County Sovereignty Movement]] in the late 1990s.<ref>Independent Monitoring Commission, ''Twenty-first Report of the Independent Monitoring Commission'', The Stationery Office, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-10-295967-3}}, p. 31.</ref>

===1998–2017===
[[File:Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, 2019.jpg|thumb|200px|The election of [[Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin]] to the Dáil in 1997 was the first time in 75 years a Sinn Féin TD had taken their seat and marked a turning point in the party's history]]
At the [[1997 Irish general election]], [[Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin]] was elected to the Dáil. In doing so, he became the first person under the "Sinn Féin" banner to be elected to Leinster House since [[1957 Irish general election|1957]], and the first since 1922 to take their seat.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51509076 |title=Irish election: Recalling when the Dáil was a Sinn Féin 'cold house' |date=16 February 2020 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=28 December 2020 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217135203/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51509076 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|White|2017|page=292}}{{sfn|Feeney|2002|page=10}} Ó Caoláin's entry to the Dáil marked the beginning of a continuous Sinn Féin presence in the Republic of Ireland's national political bodies.

The party expelled [[Denis Donaldson]], a party official, in December 2005, with him stating publicly that he had been in the employ of the British government as an agent since the 1980s. Donaldson told reporters that the British security agencies who employed him were behind the collapse of the Assembly and set up Sinn Féin to take the blame for it, a claim disputed by the British government.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sinn Féin man admits he was agent |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4536826.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=16 December 2005 |access-date=29 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510112000/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4536826.stm |archive-date=10 May 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Donaldson was found fatally shot in his home in [[County Donegal]] on 4 April 2006, and a murder inquiry was launched.<ref>{{cite news |title=Donaldson murder scene examined |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4881628.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=6 April 2006 |access-date=29 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223072458/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4881628.stm |archive-date=23 December 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2009, the [[Real Irish Republican Army|Real IRA]] released a statement taking responsibility for the killing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0413/1224244556553.html |title=Real IRA claims responsibility for 2006 murder of Denis Donaldson |date=4 April 2009 |first=Dan |last=Keenan |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |issn=0791-5144 |location=Dublin |language=en-ie |access-date=17 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026015604/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0413/1224244556553.html |archive-date=26 October 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

When Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) became the largest parties, by the terms of the Good Friday Agreement no deal could be made without the support of both parties. They nearly reached a deal in November 2004, but the DUP insisted on photographic or video evidence that [[decommissioning in Northern Ireland|decommissioning of IRA weapons]] had been carried out, which was unacceptable to Sinn Féin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,3604,1358877,00.html |title=Paisley hints at movement on IRA |first=Angelique |last=Chrisafis |date=25 November 2004 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=28 March 2007 |archive-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004111405/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/25/northernireland.northernireland |url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2006, a number of members of Sinn Féin who believed the party was not committed enough to socialism split from the party and formed a new group called [[Éirígí]], which later became a (minor) political party in its own right.<ref name="Phoenix Daly">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=2 May 2019 |title=PROFILE: CLARE DALY TD |url=https://www.thephoenix.ie/article/profile-clare-daly-td/ |work=[[The Phoenix (magazine)|The Phoenix]] |location= |access-date=25 February 2022 |quote=the socialist republican grouping Éirígí...which split from [Sinn Féin] in 2006 because it was not fully socialist |url-access=subscription |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184711/https://www.thephoenix.ie/article/profile-clare-daly-td/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 2 September 2006, Martin McGuinness publicly stated that Sinn Féin would refuse to participate in a shadow assembly at Stormont, asserting that his party would only take part in negotiations that were aimed at restoring a power-sharing government. This development followed a decision on the part of members of Sinn Féin to refrain from participating in debates since the Assembly's recall the previous May. The relevant parties to these talks were given a deadline of 24 November 2006 to decide upon whether or not they would ultimately form the executive.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sinn Féin rejects 'shadow' Assembly |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0902/northpolitics.html?rss |date=2 September 2006 |work=[[RTÉ News]] |access-date=28 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219045544/http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0902/northpolitics.html?rss |archive-date=19 February 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 86-year Sinn Féin boycott of policing in Northern Ireland ended on 28 January 2007, when the ''Ard Fheis'' voted overwhelmingly to support the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] (PSNI).<ref>{{cite news |title=Sinn Féin ends policing boycott |url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYCWAU |publisher=BreakingNews.ie |date=28 January 2007 |access-date=28 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216182711/http://breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYCWAU |archive-date=16 February 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Sinn Féin members began to sit on Policing Boards and join District Policing Partnerships.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sinn Féin 'must show visible support for policing' |url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYCWSN |publisher=BreakingNews.ie |date=28 January 2007 |access-date=28 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200933/http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYCWSN |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> There was opposition to this decision within Sinn Féin, and some members left, including elected representatives. The most well-known opponent was former IRA prisoner [[Gerry McGeough]], who stood in the [[2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2007 Assembly election]] against Sinn Féin in the constituency of [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Assembly constituency)|Fermanagh and South Tyrone]], as an Independent Republican.<ref>{{cite web |title=Former IRA prisoner to stand against SF |url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYSNAU |publisher=BreakingNews.ie |date=29 January 2007 |access-date=28 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200711/http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYSNAU |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> He polled 1.8% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/afst.htm |title=Fermanagh and South Tyrone |website=www.ark.ac.uk |access-date=21 December 2020 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032859/https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/afst.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Others who opposed this development left to found the [[Republican Network for Unity]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/othelem/organ/rorgan.htm |title=Republican Network for Unity (RNU) |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher= |access-date=16 May 2022 |quote=The Republican Network for Unity (RNU) was formed in 2007. The grouping represents republicans who are opposed to the direction taken by Sinn Féin (SF) in accepting the Good Friday Agreement and in particular the decision taken by SF on 28 January 2007 to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and to support the criminal justice system in the region. The RNU was formed out of a pressure group known as 'Ex-POW's and Concerned Republicans against RUC/PSNI'. |archive-date=19 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419004240/https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/othelem/organ/rorgan.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sinn Féin supported a no vote in the referendum on the [[Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2008]].

Immediately after the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|June 2017 UK general election]], where the Conservatives won 49% of seats but not an overall majority, so that non-mainstream parties could have significant influence, Gerry Adams announced for Sinn Féin that their elected MPs would continue the policy of not swearing [[Oath of Allegiance (United Kingdom)|allegiance to the Queen]], as would be required for them to take their seats in the Westminster Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://irishpost.co.uk/gerry-adams-confirms-sinn-fein-will-not-swear-allegiance-queen-take-westminster-seats/ |title=Gerry Adams confirms Sinn Féin will not swear allegiance to the Queen to take Westminster seats|newspaper=Irish Post |date=9 June 2017 |first=Aidan |last=Lonergan |access-date=9 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609143044/http://irishpost.co.uk/gerry-adams-confirms-sinn-fein-will-not-swear-allegiance-queen-take-westminster-seats/ |archive-date=9 June 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017 and 2018, there were allegations of bullying within the party, leading to a number of resignations and expulsions of elected members.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bardon |first1=Sarah |title=Sinn Féin loses 13 public representatives over bullying claims |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-féin-loses-13-public-representatives-over-bullying-claims-1.3381372 |date=5 February 2018 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |issn=0791-5144 |location=Dublin |language=en-ie |access-date=6 February 2018 |archive-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004111405/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-loses-13-public-representatives-over-bullying-claims-1.3381372 |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the ''Ard Fheis'' on 18 November 2017, Gerry Adams announced he would stand down as president of Sinn Féin in 2018, and would not stand for re-election as TD for [[Louth (Dáil constituency)|Louth]].

===2018–present===
[[File:Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill 2018.jpg|thumb|[[Mary Lou McDonald]] and [[Michelle O'Neill]] in February 2018]]
On 10 February 2018, [[Mary Lou McDonald]] was announced as the new president of Sinn Féin at a special Ard Fheis in Dublin.<ref name="Lou">{{cite news |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2018/0210/939695-sinn-fein-leadership/ |title=McDonald succeeds Adams as President of Sinn Féin |date=10 February 2018 |work=[[RTÉ News]]  |access-date=11 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210183926/https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2018/0210/939695-sinn-fein-leadership/ |archive-date=10 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/10/mary-lou-mcdonald-succeeds-gerry-adams-as-sinn-fein-leader |title=Mary Lou McDonald succeeds Gerry Adams as Sinn Féin leader |date=10 February 2018 |last1=McDonald |first1=Henry |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=11 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210234435/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/10/mary-lou-mcdonald-succeeds-gerry-adams-as-sinn-fein-leader |archive-date=10 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/mary-lou-sets-out-her-sf-agenda-opportunities-for-all-not-just-the-few-1.3388121 |title=Mary Lou sets out her SF agenda: 'Opportunities for all, not just the few' |date=10 February 2018 |first=Fiach |last=Kelly |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |issn=0791-5144 |location=Dublin |language=en-ie |access-date=11 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211022335/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/mary-lou-sets-out-her-sf-agenda-opportunities-for-all-not-just-the-few-1.3388121 |archive-date=11 February 2018}}</ref> [[Michelle O'Neill]] was also elected as vice president of the party.<ref name="Lou"/>

Sinn Féin were opposed to Northern Ireland [[Brexit|leaving the European Union]] together with the rest of the United Kingdom, with [[Martin McGuinness]] suggesting a referendum on the [[United Ireland|reunification of Ireland]] immediately after the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum]] results were announced,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-northern-ireland-eu-referendum-result-latest-live-border-poll-united-martin-mcguinness-a7099276.html |title=Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister calls for poll on united Ireland after Brexit |first=Siobhan |last=Fenton |date=24 June 2016  |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=London |access-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215070034/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-northern-ireland-eu-referendum-result-latest-live-border-poll-united-martin-mcguinness-a7099276.html |archive-date=15 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> a stance later reiterated by McDonald as a way of resolving the [[Brexit and the Irish border|border issues raised by Brexit]].<ref name=France24>{{cite news |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20180226-northern-ireland-sinn-fein-mary-lou-mcdonald-reunification-referendum-brexit |title=Irish reunification 'on the table', says Sinn Fein's new leader amid Brexit talks |work=[[France 24]] |agency=[[Agence France Presse]] |date=26 February 2018 |access-date=29 March 2018 |first=Romain |last=Houeix |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329084419/http://www.france24.com/en/20180226-northern-ireland-sinn-fein-mary-lou-mcdonald-reunification-referendum-brexit |archive-date=29 March 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Sinn Féin's first elections under McDonald resulted in the party performing well under its own expectations during the [[2018 Irish presidential election]] that October,<ref name=RTE2018-10-27a>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/presidential-election/2018/1027/1007020-martina-fitzgerald-presidential-election/|title=Sinn Féin – the big story of the Presidential Election|first=Martina|last=Fitzgerald|author-link=Martina Fitzgerald (Irish journalist)|date=27 October 2018|work=RTÉ News|access-date=27 October 2018|archive-date=27 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027142512/https://www.rte.ie/news/presidential-election/2018/1027/1007020-martina-fitzgerald-presidential-election/|url-status=live}}</ref> and similarly, the party's performance was labelled "disastrous" during the concurrent May [[2019 European Parliament election in Ireland]] and [[2019 Irish local elections]]. In the European elections, Sinn Féin lost 2 MEPs and dropped their vote share by 7.8%, while in the local elections the party lost 78 (almost half) of their local councillors and dropped their vote share by 5.7%. McDonald stated "It was a really bad day out for us. But sometimes that happens in politics, and it's a test for you. I mean it's a test for me personally, obviously, as the leader".<ref name="How did they do it?">{{cite news |last=Ní Aodha |first=Gráinne |date=12 February 2020 |title=How did they do it? Sinn Féin's historic 24% win was built on learnt lessons and a fed-up electorate |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/sinn-fein-comeback-5001379-Feb2020/ |access-date=21 February 2020 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221073019/https://www.thejournal.ie/sinn-fein-comeback-5001379-Feb2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

However, in the [[2020 Irish general election]], Sinn Féin received the greatest number of first preference votes nationally, making it the best result for any incarnation of Sinn Féin since [[1922 Irish general election|the 1922 election]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/europe/ireland-election-sinn-fein-analysis-intl/index.html|title=Sinn Fein surged in Ireland's election. Here's why that's so controversial|first=Nic|last=Robertson|date=10 February 2020|publisher=CNN|accessdate=9 May 2022|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225180457/https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/europe/ireland-election-sinn-fein-analysis-intl/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Fianna Fáil]], [[Fine Gael]] and the [[Green Party (Ireland)|Green Party]] formed a coalition government in June 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 June 2020 |title=FF, FG and Green Party agree historic coalition deal |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2020/0625/1149711-programme-for-government/ |work=[[RTÉ News]] |language=en-ie |access-date=16 February 2021 |archive-date=26 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626213045/https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2020/0625/1149711-programme-for-government/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Although second on seats won at the election, Sinn Féin became the largest party in the Dáil when [[Marc MacSharry]] resigned from [[Fianna Fáil]] in September 2021, which, with [[Seán Ó Fearghaíl]] sitting as [[Ceann Comhairle]], left Sinn Féin the largest party by one seat.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McConnell |first1=Daniel |title=Sinn Féin must decide whether they ever want to govern |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-40700702.html |date=18 September 2021 |newspaper=[[Irish Examiner]] |issn=1393-9564 |location=Cork |language=en-ie |access-date=27 September 2021 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927164450/https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-40700702.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Sinn Féin lost their numerical advantage in February 2022 following the resignation of [[Violet-Anne Wynne]].<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connell |first=Hugh |date=25 February 2022 |title=Sinn Féin TD Violet-Anne Wynne resigns from party over 'psychological warfare' |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/sinn-fein-td-violet-anne-wynne-resigns-from-party-over-psychological-warfare-41383485.html |newspaper=[[Irish Independent]] |location=Dublin |issn=0021-1222 |language=en-ie |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225072222/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/sinn-fein-td-violet-anne-wynne-resigns-from-party-over-psychological-warfare-41383485.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2020, the national chairman of Sinn Féin [[Declan Kearney]] contacted several dissident republican political parties such as [[Saoradh]], [[Republican Network for Unity]] and the [[Irish Republican Socialist Party]] about creating a united republican campaign to call for a referendum on Irish unification. This information did not become publicly known until 2022 and the move was criticised in some quarters on the basis that it would be wrong for Sinn Féin to work with dissident republican groups which do not repudiate violence by paramilitaries. Sinn Féin retorted that engaging with dissident republicans draws them into the democratic process and political solutions instead of violent ones.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mooney |first=John |date=1 May 2022 |title=Sinn Fein reached out to political wing of New IRA |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/sinn-fein-reached-out-to-political-wing-of-new-ira-wrhljns9c |work=[[The Times]] |location= |access-date=13 May 2022 |quote=Sinn Fein said yesterday that Kearney has consistently tried to engage with a range of groups. "We have always stated that dialogue and engagement — even with those who support armed factions — is a vital part of the peace process and moving these groups away from violence in line with the peaceful and democratic route to ending partition provided by the Good Friday agreement," it said. |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512182426/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sinn-fein-reached-out-to-political-wing-of-new-ira-wrhljns9c |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mooney |first=John |date=6 May 2022 |title=Sinn Féin approached INLA's political wing over border poll |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/sinn-fein-approached-inlas-political-wing-over-border-poll-66w3xwg0k |work=[[The Times]] |location= |access-date=13 May 2022 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508183905/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sinn-fein-approached-inlas-political-wing-over-border-poll-66w3xwg0k |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sinn Féin won 29% of the [[first-preference votes]] in the [[2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election]], the highest share of any party. With 27 out of 90 seats, they became the largest party in Stormont for the first time ever.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/business-europe-ireland-northern-belfast-ab45c4ca47a3258d807b33449bff01c2|title=Sinn Fein hails 'new era' as it wins Northern Ireland vote|last1=Hui|first1=Sylvia|last2=Morrison|first2=Peter|date=7 May 2022|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=12 May 2022|language=en|archive-date=11 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511155246/https://apnews.com/article/business-europe-ireland-northern-belfast-ab45c4ca47a3258d807b33449bff01c2|url-status=live}}</ref> "Today ushers in a new era", O'Neill said shortly before the final results were announced. "Irrespective of religious, political or social backgrounds, my commitment is to make politics work."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/naomi-long-mary-lou-mcdonald-stormont-alliance-party-northern-ireland-b2073801.html |title=Michelle O'Neill: Assembly election result ushers in new era |last=McCambridge |first=Jonathan |date=12 May 2022 |work=[[The Independent]] |place=London |accessdate=12 May 2022 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512175027/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/naomi-long-mary-lou-mcdonald-stormont-alliance-party-northern-ireland-b2073801.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the [[2023 Northern Ireland local elections]], Sinn Féin became the largest party in local government for the first time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-05-20 |title=NI council elections 2023: Sinn Féin largest party in NI local government |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-65655547 |access-date=2023-05-20}}</ref> Then, in the local elections in the Republic of Ireland [[2024 Irish local elections|in 2024]], Sinn Féin increased their vote share, however, significantly fell short of the polls, showcasing a divide between the party's leadership and grassroots over immigration, with disgruntled Sinn Féin voters voting instead for small right-wing parties.<ref>{{cite web | last=Halpin | first=Padraic | title=Irish coalition parties hammer Sinn Fein in local elections | website=Reuters | date=2024-06-09 | url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/irish-coalition-parties-set-trounce-sinn-fein-local-elections-2024-06-08/ | access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Webber |first1=Jude |title=Sinn Féin falters in Irish local elections |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9d11a7d6-33e9-48bb-ab31-d36a3ae25bb4 |website=[[Financial Times]] |date=9 June 2024 |access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref> However, following the [[2024 United Kingdom general election]], Sinn Féin became the single largest party representing Northern Ireland in Westminster.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=Davy |last2=Andrews |first2=Chris |title=Sinn Féin becomes NI's largest Westminster party |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8978z7z8w4o |website=[[BBC]] |date=5 July 2024 |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref>