Gerry Adams announces his retirement as Sinn Feinâs leader
Gerry Adams Gerry
GERRY ADAMS  who on November 18th announced plans to retire after 34 years as president of Sinn Fein and the dominant figure in the Irish republican movement  will forever be associated with both war and peace.  He  came to the fore during the Irish Republican Armyâs most violent years in the 1970s and 1980s but also helped turn Sinn Fein into a legitimate political force on both sides of the border.
An exponent of âthe long warââthe theory that  if IRA bomb attacks in Northern Ireland and mainland Britain went on long enough  British spirit would eventually be worn down âMr Adams  eventually oversaw a push for peace. The man who supported a strategy summarised by a close associate as âa ballot paper in one hand and an Armalite in the otherâ later delivered an IRA ceasefire and the decommissioning of its weaponry  in exchange for assurances that Sinn Fein would be allowed entry into the political mainstream.
 Mr Adams  leaves the stage with  his  party enjoying the support of half a million on the island of Ireland. It is the second-largest party in Northern Ireland  and its primary nationalist voice. It is also the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland  where it recently declared its willingness to take part in a coalition government.
 Yet Mr Adams  had reached  his  political limits.  He  struggled with the transition from Belfast to the Dail in Dublin  weighed down by  his  role in the IRAâs bloody past. Instead the party is now turning to those with a âclean skinâ  as locals term people unassociated with the terrorist group  who may be more politically presentable than  Mr Adams .
Voters are still getting to know Michelle OâNeill  Sinn Feinâs leader in Belfast  who took power at short notice after its former leader  the late Martin McGuinness  quit in January. Although she has no link with the IRA  her family is steeped in republicanism. Her father was interned during the Troubles  and a cousin was shot dead by Britainâs special forces. In the south  Mary Lou McDonald   Mr Adams âs deputy and most likely successor in Dublin  had a more orthodox upbringing. Ms McDonald has acquired a formidable reputation both in the Dail and as an MEP. Sinn Fein hopes that the pair may reach voters that  Mr Adams  never didâor could.
At Sinn Feinâs annual conference in Dublin  party members gave  him  a heroâs send-off with standing ovations.  He  will step down early next year as head of a movement  he  prised away from the gun and fashioned into a daunting political force. Yet  he  will retire a long way from  his  ambition to âtake power in Irelandâ. Here  the man of war and peace fell short.
GERRY ADAMS  who on November 18th announced plans to retire after 34 years as president of Sinn Fein and the dominant figure in the Irish republican movement  will forever be associated with both war and peace.  He  came to the fore during the Irish Republican Armyâs most violent years in the 1970s and 1980s but also helped turn Sinn Fein into a legitimate political force on both sides of the border.
An exponent of âthe long warââthe theory that  if IRA bomb attacks in Northern Ireland and mainland Britain went on long enough  British spirit would eventually be worn down âMr Adams  eventually oversaw a push for peace. The man who supported a strategy summarised by a close associate as âa ballot paper in one hand and an Armalite in the otherâ later delivered an IRA ceasefire and the decommissioning of its weaponry  in exchange for assurances that Sinn Fein would be allowed entry into the political mainstream.
 Mr Adams  leaves the stage with  his  party enjoying the support of half a million on the island of Ireland. It is the second-largest party in Northern Ireland  and its primary nationalist voice. It is also the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland  where it recently declared its willingness to take part in a coalition government.
 Yet Mr Adams  had reached  his  political limits.  He  struggled with the transition from Belfast to the Dail in Dublin  weighed down by  his  role in the IRAâs bloody past. Instead the party is now turning to those with a âclean skinâ  as locals term people unassociated with the terrorist group  who may be more politically presentable than  Mr Adams .
Voters are still getting to know Michelle OâNeill  Sinn Feinâs leader in Belfast  who took power at short notice after its former leader  the late Martin McGuinness  quit in January. Although she has no link with the IRA  her family is steeped in republicanism. Her father was interned during the Troubles  and a cousin was shot dead by Britainâs special forces. In the south  Mary Lou McDonald   Mr Adams âs deputy and most likely successor in Dublin  had a more orthodox upbringing. Ms McDonald has acquired a formidable reputation both in the Dail and as an MEP. Sinn Fein hopes that the pair may reach voters that  Mr Adams  never didâor could.
At Sinn Feinâs annual conference in Dublin  party members gave  him  a heroâs send-off with standing ovations.  He  will step down early next year as head of a movement  he  prised away from the gun and fashioned into a daunting political force. Yet  he  will retire a long way from  his  ambition to âtake power in Irelandâ. Here  the man of war and peace fell short.