Daniel McConnell: Sinn Féin has eyes on future power after ditching the past

DUBLIN, IRELAND - OCTOBER 30: Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald holds hands with Pearse Doherty and Michelle ONeill after delivering her speech as the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis party conference takes place at the Helix centre on October 30, 2021 in Dublin, Ireland. The Ard Fheis takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing political situation in the north regards the Brexit fallout and the Northern Ireland protocol. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

THE Sinn Féin ard fheis last weekend should act as a wake-up call to the two major parties in Government.

The “normalisation” project of Sinn Féin in a bid to seize power in the Republic of Ireland was in full flow under a confident Mary Lou McDonald and her core team of impressive front-bench spokespersons.