After vigilante accusations against Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams concedes that recent arrests could cost the party votes, writes Mark Hennessy, Political Reporter
Sinn Féin delegates have often raised the rafters to welcome former prisoners back to freedom. On Saturday they accorded a special welcome to Kerry North general election candidate Mr Martin Ferris.
Introducing Mr Ferris, recently detained by gardaí investigating vigilante attacks in Kerry, Cllr Sean McManus joked that he looked "extremely fresh after his little rest in Killarney".
Replying, the Fenit-based candidate, once convicted of leading an IRA gun-running expedition, said: "Maybe I should get arrested more often. I am sure that somebody will try to arrange it all right."
The humour is, perhaps, more than a little forced.
Speaking to the Gresham Hotel party rally, Mr Adams abandoned much of his recent supportive tone towards the Garda and accused some in the force of being involved in a "vicious campaign of harassment" against Mr Ferris.
The sharpness of Mr Adams's criticisms of the Garda reveals the party's concerns that the issue could damage its ability to win Dáil seats that are now tantalisingly close.
In the immediate aftermath of the arrests of Sinn Féin figures in Kerry, the party implied the Garda's interest in vigilantism was a response to political interference.
However, that line of criticism failed to run, and was quickly dropped in favour of criticisms of the Garda, which has been battered by allegations in the McBrearty affair and other issues.
Throughout all of last year's speculation, Sinn Féin refused ever to push its target beyond three seats: Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin in Cavan/Monaghan, Mr Sean Crowe in Dublin South West and Mr Ferris in Kerry.
Despite the decision of Fianna Fáil to be more combative towards Sinn Féin, both Mr Ó Caoláin and Mr Crowe are still near-bankers for election. The jury remains out on how voters in Kerry will respond to recent events.
In his speech, Mr Adams posed an argument that will repeatedly be turned against the main political parties in coming weeks. If they can do business with Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland, why can they not do so in the Republic?
The thesis is superficially logical. However, Sinn Féin is not a disinterested party in the Northern Ireland conflict. Instead, it is a central player. Therefore, it must be equally central in any effort to resolve it. The same conditions do not apply in the Republic.
However, remarks by the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, speaking in Hong Kong during St Patrick's Day celebrations, could come back to haunt Fianna Fáil. There, Mr Smith did not rule out accepting Sinn Féin votes in the Dáil. Mr Adams exploited the gap: "There are shades of the DUP here. They are not the only ones who don't want a Fenian about the place. But does anybody believe that a Taoiseach-in-waiting will not deal with us?"
Laying out the Sinn Féin policy platform, Mr Adams struck all the right notes for the party's electoral constituency but gave no signal as to how the changes could be financed.
The tax system should be changed within the lifetime of the next Dáil and made "equitable". Spending by Government departments would be focused on health, education and infrastructure. However, he made no mention of where savings would be made.