![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/3629/production/_118156831_pacemaker_mary_lou_mcdonald_sinn_f_in_s_agm_10.jpg)
The party meet in Dublin, with Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill due to speak.
The Sinn Féin Ard Fheis (party conference) in under way in Dublin.
Members have gathered at Dublin City University for the party’s first Ard Fheis in two years.
The party has said strict Covid-19 regulations will be in place at the event.
Leader Mary Lou McDonald is due to deliver her speech to delegates at 17:00 local time, with the party saying she will focus on a theme of political “change” across the island of Ireland.
Sinn Féin has consistently called for a united Ireland and an end to partition, and delegates are expected to hear calls for preparations for a referendum on the Irish border.
Deputy leader Michelle O’Neill opened the Ard Fheis. The party said Ms O’Neill would “set out her vision” for the “need” for the Stormont executive to “work together and deliver for people in a changed political environment”.
Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister is also expected to outline the party’s plan for the next Northern Ireland Assembly election, which is scheduled for May next year.
Before the conference began, Ms McDonald signalled that Sinn Féin will end its long standing opposition to non-jury trials at the Republic of Ireland’s Special Criminal Court.
She said that, as a TD who represented a constituency affected by gangland crime, she recognised there was a “need in exceptional circumstances” for non jury trials.
The party said the number of attendees at this year’s Ard Fheis would be “reduced substantially from previous years” due to Covid-19 regulations.
Everyone attending the event will have to provide proof of vaccination for Covid-19, it added.
![A graphic that reads: Analysis by Shane Harrison, Dublin correspondent](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/0287/production/_116874600_shaneharrison-nc.png)
Sinn Féin ard fheis attendees will be in a confident mood with the party riding high in the polls in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.
But members will also be aware that ahead of the next Northern Ireland Assembly election there are a number of unresolved issues that threaten the future of devolution.
Those include the negotiations between the UK and the EU over the Brexit-related Northern Ireland Protocol, which creates a trade border in the Irish Sea.
Unionists believe the protocol diminishes their sense of Britishness.
Sinn Féin, like other parties in Northern Ireland, has expressed its opposition to the UK government’s proposals on dealing with legacy of the Troubles, in effect allowing an amnesty on crimes related to that era.
The party is also waiting to see whether the UK government proceeds with legislation in Westminster that will strengthen the position of the Irish language.
South of the border in the Republic of Ireland the party is consistently topping opinion polls, with the three-party coalition government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens being seen by many as not doing enough on issues such as housing and health.
![Presentational grey line](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/464/cpsprodpb/10301/production/_98950366_presentational_grey_line464-nc.jpg)