Sinn FΘin activists were looking forward to this weekend's annual conference as an occasion for rallying support for the party's campaign in the forthcoming general election in the Republic.
The conference programme, adorned by a painting by the artist Robert Ballagh, contains the traditional list of motions: calling for a "32-county democratic socialist Republic"; supporting foreign groups, some of which are still actively involved in terrorism; attacking the British government; and calling for the immediate release of IRA "prisoners of war", including the five men imprisoned for the manslaughter of Det Garda Jerry McCabe.
The issue the party wished to see most closely covered, however, concerns its electoral rise in both Northern Ireland and the Republic and the prospects of it achieving sufficient support in the next Dβil election to be in a position to join another large party in coalition government.
Although it may remain unsaid, the clear thinking among delegates will be that some day, Sinn FΘin might be in government with Fianna Fβil.
It is expected the ardfheis will reject proposals to take part in Government here after the next election, but the way will be left open for partnership in a future government.
The coalition motions, however, were placed before the arrests of three Irish republicans in Colombia and, more importantly, before the attacks in the US on September 11th.
The IRA has no known involvement with the Al Qaeda terrorist group of Osama bin Laden, thought to be responsible for the attacks in the US.
But it has been shown to have involvement with at least one group that is high up the list of the US's foreign terrorist enemies.
The IRA is now thought to have had close links with FARC in Colombia since 1988 and may still have members working in the Colombian interior with the guerrilla army. FARC is heavily involved in the narcotics trade and is carrying out a massive terrorist and kidnapping campaign aimed at destroying the Colombian State. Earlier this week in Bogota, FARC kidnapped Consuelo Araujonoguera, the wife of Colombia's Attorney General.
The debating of Sinn FΘin's possible involvement in coalition in government in the next Dβil posits the question of what foreign relations such a government might seek to pursue with countries, including the US, that oppose FARC's terrorist campaign.
The conference programme contains motions condemning the Colombian government and the US's support for it. The conference is also likely to support calls for Basque independence in deference to the members of Euskal Herritarok, the political wing of the terrorist group, ETA. It is also likely to support calls for the withdrawal of US forces from Puerto Rico.
The motions call for the lifting of sanctions again Iraq and Cuba; support for the anti-government groups involved in terrorist attacks in Turkey; and opposition to US support for Israel.
These are alongside motions that could be proposed at any party political conference, on the environment, health, agriculture and social conditions. There are anti-nuclear, pro-neutrality and ecology themes that are intended to place Sinn FΘin alongside the Green Party, as it did during the Nice referendum debate.
The perennial thorny issue of abortion is dropped from this year's conference programme even though it is set to become a major talking point again in this State as the Government seeks to legislate on the issue.
However, all these issues are somewhat academic given the deteriorating political and security situation in the North and the growing hostility towards Sinn FΘin in the US in the aftermath of the Colombia arrests.
In the aftermath of the revelations about the IRA's involvement in terrorism in Colombia and in the absence of any significant act of decommissioning, the notion of Sinn FΘin's involvement in government in the Republic in the immediate future is a non-starter. In fact, if the IRA does not decommission weapons in a significant way in the next few weeks, it is also likely that Sinn FΘin's involvement in government in Northern Ireland may also come to an end as unionists threaten to collapse the Assembly.
The presence of some of the foreign guests at the weekend ardfheis might give rise to further "image" problems for the republicans.
The IRA has had connections with ETA since the 1970s, and it was through ETA that the IRA came in contact with FARC in Colombia. The IRA helped FARC design and produce the heavy mortar system known here as the "barrack buster".
It has also shown ETA how to manufacture the same weapon and devices very similar to those manufactured in the Border area in this island have been found in northern Spain.
In recent years, as the peace process in the North progressed, the Sinn FΘin ardfheis has been a magnet for Irish-American politicians. Members of the US Senate and Congress have attended.
Since the events in Colombia and September 11th, US politicians may be less keen to be associated with Sinn FΘin.
After the arrests in Colombia in August, some of Sinn FΘin's strongest supporters in the US were openly critical. Sinn FΘin, however, maintains the position that the arrests in Colombia are "irrelevant".
The ardfheis starts this evening at the RDS and runs to Sunday.