As a communal rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann brought the curtain down on the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, the faithful headed out into the Belfast evening with the party facing more questions than when they had arrived.
Mary Lou McDonald's leader’s address covered familiar terrain, but unfamiliar talk around her leadership created a somewhat strange atmosphere.
Reports of internal rumblings left the Dublin Central TD fielding questions over whether her eight-year stint at the helm of the party was under threat. She faced reporters surrounded by some of those mentioned as her possible successor - including Pearse Doherty and Matt Carthy. Both are sticking with their leader for now.
"As you may try to seek a story, there isn’t a story there. We are in a very, very good place," said Ms McDonald as she insisted there were no plans to change or replace the party leadership.
Talk of disunity forced delegates to rally.
One TD dismissed suggestions of dissatisfaction with Mary Lou McDonald as "rubbish". Another elected representative - when not even asked about the leadership issue - was keen to stress Ms McDonald could stay on as leader as long as she wanted - as she was the party’s "match-winner". One delegate turned on their heels when asked about the leader’s position - not countenancing any talk of potential disquiet.
Party members still queued in their droves for pictures with Ms McDonald and First Minister Michelle O’Neill in a sign of affirmation for the party’s figureheads.
Mini budget call
Ms McDonald will hope her keynote speech ended the Ard Fheis on the right note.
She fleshed out her party’s call for a mini budget, stating it should contain substantial cuts to excise and the Universal Social Charge, alongside electricity credits worth €400 and a €500 cost of disability payment.
There were concrete proposals too on how to progress towards Irish unity - perhaps with next year’s Assembly Elections in mind.
A recent poll indicated Sinn Féin has dropped to its lowest support in the North in five years. However, the same happened in 2021 before the party mobilised its base to hit 29% of the vote in the following year’s Stormont elections.
Aside from that, there was little new in the leader’s speech - perhaps highlighting the challenge of Sinn Féin being the lead opposition party for so long, after its seemingly inevitable march towards Government Buildings was halted at the 2024 election.
That long wait is making some restless.
Dáil bye-elections
Mary Lou McDonald directly appealed to voters in Dublin Central and Galway West to back Sinn Féin candidates in the forthcoming Dáil bye-elections, adding how victory would help pile the pressure on the coalition after Sinn Féin had, in her view, claimed the scalp of the Healy-Rae brothers with its recent no confidence motion in Government.
However, party figures don’t seem fully confident of winning either contest due to the competitive fields in both constituencies despite their top position in recent national opinion polls. There is also the added pressure of Dublin Central being the leader’s home constituency.
Some believe the party needs a win to build momentum towards getting a tilt in office after the next General Election - especially given the Coalition’s difficulties in handling the fuel protests.
When asked whether a win for Sinn Féin was imperative in at least one of the contests, one TD responded: "I couldn’t disagree with that."
Given the leadership talk, it will be intriguing to see the resources allotted to the Dublin Central campaign in particular over the coming weeks.
Fox hunting ban
Sinn Féin members leave Belfast with questions too about elements of the party’s identity.
A motion to support a ban on fox hunting passed on Friday night by a narrow margin - but only after a heated debate during which Belfast’s International Convention and Exhibition Centre had to be evacuated due to an alarm.
Sinn Féin’s ruling body had put forward a motion noting how "hunting in Ireland dates back thousands of years with mythology and examples such as Cu Chulainn the 'Hound of Ulster’" - but delegates ultimately deviated from HQ’s wish.
The party’s Justice Spokesperson Matt Carthy spoke vehemently against supporting the ban, noting how "this has been driven - not by our voters - but by an active campaign that has been...working with outside pressure groups".
"It’s not acceptable that this Ard Fheis’s clár was shared with those outside groups before members of this party had even seen it," he added.
Cavan Cllr Stiofán Conaty intimated the move to support a ban highlighted a potential rural-urban divide within Sinn Féin, noting how it was "luxury policy position for those in the cities and the commuter belts".
Several prominent figures spoke in favour of the ban, including Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan and Kildare North TD Reada Cronin.
The vote puts Sinn Féin in line with other left-wing parties in the Dáil, but it will prompt discussion on how the party might marry its rural and urban wings if it's to ever enter a left-wing coalition Government.
'We stand at the crossroads of history'
Mary Lou McDonald dismissed suggestions the vote was a sign the leadership was losing its grip on the party after members also rejected HQ’s preferred candidate - activist Gillian Sherrat - at a selection convention for the Dublin Central bye-election.
"The decisions on policy, the decisions on leadership - and who leads - are made by the membership. That is a sign of the robust good health of Sinn Féin. That’s how we operate," she told reporters.
However, given Sinn Féin’s reputation as a highly disciplined party, further examples of membership not being in step with HQ could be significant.
"We stand at the crossroads of history," Mary Lou McDonald told delegates in her keynote speech.
The next few weeks might indicate whether Sinn Féin can answer its questions and create history sooner rather than later.
