A minute of silence for those killed in the attacks on the US, observed by the American Ambassador to Ireland Mr Richard Egan, preceded the opening ard feis address of the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams.
Touching on political, social and economic issues, the core of Mr Adam’s speech was a call for unionists and republicans to combat inequalities in north and south Ireland.
Sinn Féin, Mr Adams said, is committed to a decentralised Ireland where the Dublin - Belfast power axis will be replaced by a regional government powered to shape the political and economic infrastructure of given regions.
The party’s social policy was firmly endorsed by the ard feis and highlighted efforts to address inequalities in the areas of health care, education, crime and drugs, housing and transport.
Mr Adams said work in the education and health care by the Sinn Féin ministers responsible for these portfolios - Ms Bairbre de Brún and Mr Martin McGuinness - was evidence of the party’s commitment.
Mr Adams offered a conciliatory hand towards unionists saying that sectarianism would not be tolerated in the republican movement.
"We want to reach out to unionists Mr Adams said. "For republicans, they are in the culture of everyday life no less Irish than the rest of us."
". . . they should not be compelled into acknowledging what they do not want to do and we accept that narrow green conservatism has contributed at times to their sense of alienation from the community of Ireland which we wish them to embrace.
"Collectively responsibility at this time is to settle our differences and I appeal to the leaders of unionism to join us in doing that," he said.
Mr Adams also paid tribute to Mr John Hume and Mr Seamus Mallon.