A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
This weekend will be a homecoming. The Sinn Féin Ard Fheis will be held in my native Belfast.
The Ard Fheis is our annual conference. Around 800 delegates and many more visitors will attend from Friday to Saturday evening. This important conference elects our party leadership and sets Sinn Féin policy.
Sinn Féin is a membership-driven party. Our Party office holders, including the President, Vice President, Chairperson, General Secretary and two Treasurers, serve a one-year term. The delegates also elect members to our Ard Comhairle (High Committee) annually. This means that the leadership is fully accountable to the membership.
From Friday evening through Saturday, over 150 motions will be debated and voted on. If agreed, they will become party policy. In advance of the Ard Fheis, the motions will be discussed at a local level, with delegates provided with voting guidelines.
This creates a highly democratic structure for leadership and policy formation. It is always interesting to listen to debates on issues that individuals feel passionate about. Despite conflicting views, there is always respect for the outcome of the vote.
The bulk of the agenda concerns domestic issues, including Irish Unity, economic and social issues. One motion commends the work of Friends of Sinn Féin, and his year will also see a heightened international section, given events in the Middle East and Central America. These sections, with invited speakers, are always informative and interesting.
The highlight of the weekend is always the Presidential address, which is broadcast live on TV. This year will be an opportunity for Mary Lou McDonald to lay out a vision for the coming year, the challenges and opportunities, and to respond to the global context.
The weekend extends beyond the conference floor. It is an opportunity to attend fringe discussions, music and cultural events, and to meet up with old friends.
The backdrop to the Ard Fheis will be byelections (special elections) in May for Dublin and Galway. These will be a test for the Government parties, who are falling in the polls and failing to address the housing crisis and the cost of living.
Before the Ard Fheis formally kicks off, a few of us will gather for an event to remember Rita O’Hare, a friend who passed the baton of Sinn Féin North America representative on to me.
Friends of Sinn Féin will dedicate a bust of executed 1916 leader James Connolly to her honour. Connolly (an Irish Republican and socialist) had been a labour leader in the US before returning to Ireland, where he became the military commander of the Easter Rising.
The bust will be on display at the Áras Uí Chonghaile (James Connolly visitor centre) in Belfast. Rita was essential to the development of the centre, which was only made possible with the support of the US and Canadian Labour Unions. It will be a fitting reminder of Rita and her work to build a new and united Ireland.
Rita recognised the important role played by the US and Canada in our peace process and in securing Irish Unity. Her legacy and work continue across North America.
I always come away from the Ard Fheis invigorated by meeting with old friends, debating the issues of the day and marvelling at the ability and confidence of the new generation of leaders.
I hope you can make to Belfast or watch online.
Is mise,
Have a great weekend,
