Sinn Fein

An Irish nationalist, Catholic and Republican movement founded in 1905, whose name means ‘Ourselves Alone’ in Gaelic. Following the Second World War, it became the political wing of the IRA, and demanded that Ulster (Northern Ireland) be re-integrated into the Irish Republic. A legally recognised party, presenting candidates for elections, Sinn Féin was little by little incorporated into the negotiations which led to the peace agreement of 10th April, 1998. On 28th January 2007, Sinn Féin acknowledged the powers of Northern Ireland’s police force, until then seen as a ‘legitimate target’, which opened the way to its participation in Northern Ireland’s government. The party today has 5 elected members in London’s parliament and two elected members in the European parliament.