Last March, Syriza’s Euclid Tsakalotos addressed the Sinn Féin conference in Derry with a rousing message: “Syriza, Sinn Féin, Podemos and others are part of a great realignment in European politics that has become apparent over the last couple of years.” For Sinn Féin member of the European Parliament Martina Anderson, the affinity between the parties was clear: “Republicanism is on the rise. In Athens it’s called Syriza, in Spain it’s called Podemos, in Ireland it’s called Sinn Fein.”

There has been no shortage of articles in the Anglophone media, both mainstream and radical, analyzing Syriza and Podemos as new left parties. But much less attention has been paid to Sinn Féin, which has made spectacular political gains in the Republic of Ireland since the global economic crisis began and now looks set to become the main opposition party in that state after the recent general election. It also forms part of the regional government in Northern Ireland, where it has been at the heart of a standoff over Tory welfare cuts.

But how should we understand Sinn Féin’s “republicanism,” and what kind of threat does it pose to the Irish establishment? To answer those questions, we need to examine the party’s history and ideology.