The evolution of Sinn Féin

The party of Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill has come a long way from the days of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness - or has it?

(left to right) Pictured in 2017 were Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill,then-President Gerry Adams and then-deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

In less than 30 years Sinn Féin has gone from a party silenced by censorship laws and without Dáil representation to a political force that now has its sights set firmly on government.

Once a fringe entity that was on the banned list under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act, it is now consistently polling at around 35% with 36 TDs.