This morning Mary Lou McDonald officially became the next President of Sinn Fein, she officially takes over on February 10th.
Below are the remarks of her speech today in Belfast;
I am proud and honoured to be nominated for Uachtarán Shinn Féin. I look forward to being ratified at our special Ard Fheis on February 10th.
“I know I have big shoes to fill taking on the role from Gerry Adams and I know that is impossible but I have brought my own shoes and together, with all of the party membership, we will walk on a journey that will lead to Irish unity.
“Uniting this island is the best outcome for all our citizens and it is now our task to convince our unionist friends and neighbours of that and to encourage them to help us build a new Ireland.
“We are entering a new era and we can look forward with confidence.
“I want to see Sinn Féin in government north and south.
“But it will be government based on equality, respects the rights of citizens, that delivers prosperity and opportunity for all and reflects our republican ideals.
“To do that we need to continue to grow and develop, embracing new ideas while remaining true to our vision.
“We are capable of achieving anything we set our minds to and it is now the task, duty and responsibility of all to create and deliver a new Ireland, together, united and strong
Update with video
David McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs
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