Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams’ call to the IRA to drop violence for politics has brought new hope of lasting peace in Northern Ireland, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland said today.

Gerry Adams received a cautious response to his call for the IRA to abandon arms, with opponents saying the Provisionals’ actions now need to match his words.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said today's statement from Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams must be matched by action from the IRA.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has appealed to the IRA to "fully embrace…fully political and democratic means" to move the peace process forward.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams is set to outline the steps that republicans must take to move the peace process forward during a speech in Belfast today.

DUP leader Ian Paisley has said he does not expect the republican movement to end its alleged involvement in criminality.

The IRA today repeated its denial of responsibility for the murder of Belfast man Robert McCartney.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has warned Sinn Féin that it faces further political isolation if the IRA continues to engage in criminal activity.

Gerry Adams was met with a standing ovation at a speech to supporters at a Washington hotel today.

US President George Bush commended the leadership of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today as he faced a growing crisis in the Northern Ireland peace process.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has met Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams, in Washington.

Sinn Féin TD for Kerry North Martin Ferris has welcomed a statement from the killers of Det Garda Jerry McCabe in which they apologise for his death.

The men convicted of killing Detective Garda Jerry McCabe during a failed robbery in 1996 tonight said they “deeply regretted” his death.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has said that he believes he will "see the day when there is no IRA".

Gerry Adams will start a tour of the US today that will see him meeting many members of the Irish-American community ahead of Saint Patrick’s Day.

The British government has welcomed efforts by Sinn Féin to address the issue of IRA criminality, which has led to the latest deadlock in the Irish peace process.

The curtain came down tonight on a drama-packed Sinn Féin annual conference that was overshadowed by the murder of Belfast man Robert McCartney and other criminal links to the 100-year-old party.

The Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in Dublin has passed a resolution demanding the immediate release of the killers of Garda Jerry McCabe.

Sinn Féin has warned its supporters to brace themselves for a new beginning to policing in Northern Ireland, it emerged today.

The Irish and British governments have joined Sinn Féin’s political opponents in a bid to weaken the party’s negotiating hand in Northern Ireland peace talks, it was claimed today.

Enemies of Sinn Féin have manipulated the Robert McCartney murder and Northern Bank raid to halt the party’s advancement, Gerry Adams claimed today.

The sisters of Robert McCartney have arrived at the Sinn Féin Árd Fhéis just ten minutes before Gerry Adams was due to make his speech.

There is a crisis of confidence in the republican movement which could destroy the Good Friday Agreement, it was claimed tonight.

There is a crisis of confidence in the republican movement which could destroy the Good Friday Agreement, it was claimed tonight.

Sinn Féin chairman Mitchel McLaughlin has rejected a suggestion put to him in a radio interview that the IRA are "a bunch of gangsters".

Sinn Féin’s annual party conference opens tonight in Dublin with the shell-shocked party facing its biggest political crisis.

An opinion poll in this morning’s newspapers has highlighted a fall in support for Sinn Féin and its leader, Gerry Adams.

Sinn Féin is attempting to play down the Bush administration's decision not to invite the North's political parties to the White House's annual St Patrick's Day celebration this year.

Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds has called on Sinn Féin to “walk away” from the IRA and take seats on the police board of Northern Ireland.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is due to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London later today to assess the current state of the peace process.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern has reiterated the Government's stance that it is up to Sinn Féin to make moves to revive the peace process.

DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson has welcomed the Government's growing antagonism towards Sinn Féin.

Northern Secretary Paul Murphy is due in Dublin this Wednesday to discuss the faltering peace process with Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern.

The Democratic Unionist Party deputy leader Peter Robinson has said that Republicans know what they have to do if they want to participate in political life in the North.

The Ulster peace process cannot move forward unless the IRA gives up paramilitary and criminal activity, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has reiterated his previous vow that the release of the IRA killers of Garda Jerry McCabe is no longer on the negotiating table.

The Presbyterian Church in the North has said it has lost all trust in Sinn Féin following the IRA's alleged involvement in the Belfast bank heist.

President Mary McAleese has pleaded with republicans "to close the door on the tradition of armed struggle" for the sake of future generations.

Public support for Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has slumped significantly in the wake of the on-going controversy surrounding IRA criminality, according to an opinion poll published this morning.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has refused to comment on reports that the leader of the Provisional IRA is planning to establish a breakaway group if complete decommissioning goes ahead.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has criticised Fianna Fáil Councillor Noreen Ryan for calling on Justice Minister Michael McDowell to resign.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams today repeated calls for witnesses with information on the murder of Belfast man Robert McCartney to go to the PSNI “if they have no problem with them”.

The family of the man stabbed to death outside a Belfast pub last month are due to meet Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern in Dublin this morning to seek Irish Government support for their campaign for justice.

The Government may consider tighter controls on the public funding of political parties after last week’s police crackdown on an IRA-linked cash laundering racket, it emerged tonight.