Original: It was in 1983 that RuairÃ Ã "BrÃ daigh resigned as President of Sinn FÃ in and was succeeded by Gerry Adams. Republicans had long claimed that the only legitimate Irish state was the Irish Republic declared in the Proclamation of the Republic of 1916, which they considered to be still in existence.
Simplified: Republicans like RuairÃ Ã "BrÃ daigh said that the only legitimate country in Ireland was the Irish Republic declared in 1916.