The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, has praised the "courage, tenacity and commitment" of IRA members. At an Easter Rising commemoration in Co Tyrone, he said he saw no distinction between those who had died in 1916 and "today's generation of IRA volunteers".
In a staunchly republican area, at times distrustful of the Belfast leadership, Mr Adams was given a hero's welcome when he gave the keynote address at Carrickmore.
Before some 4,000 people, Mr Adams appeared extremely confident as he said republicans were at a high point and were now a pivotal and growing force in Irish politics. If he had any fear of grassroots dissatisfaction with the deal Sinn Fein had secured in peace talks on Friday, he didn't show it.
He said the conclusion of the talks had brought "another phase of our struggle" to an end and that the next phase would present many challenges. The impetus generated, he said, "through 30 years of struggle . . . will see us through to make further significant advances towards our goal of a free and independent Ireland". In commending the IRA he said, he was not being provocative or paying homage to the hard men.
"When I pay tribute to IRA soldiers, I pay tribute not just to their role when they make war, but also to their role when they provide the opportunity for making peace."
Mr Adams said the negotiating team would present a report to the ardchomhairle of Sinn Fein but he appealed to everybody present to evaluate the details of the agreement. "This cannot be a leadership-led struggle," he said. Mr Adams concluded his speech with the republican slogan "Tiocfaidh ar la".
Before Mr Adams's arrival, the atmosphere in the small village, where tricolours flew from most houses, was neither of exuberance nor despondency. "This deal is the best we can get for the moment and we move on from here," said one man. Others, however, said they feared it would all unravel during the marching season. "It's a step in the right direction. It leaves all the options open. Hopefully there will be a diminishing role for an armed campaign, but nobody is saying we gave up the armed struggle because we were tired of it," was another comment.
During yesterday's ceremony, a roll of honour of Tyrone republicans killed during the troubles was read out. It took just under two minutes to read all the names. When asked if it was worth it, one veteran republican said "Every inch is an inch. No one is saying it's over. There's a long road ahead."
Sinn Fein's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness, speaking in Derry, said it was too early to say whether the IRA would maintain its ceasefire following last Friday's agreement.
Everyone should read the Stormont document before giving an opinion, he said. "I think that many republicans will have concerns about the document. I have also spoken to many republicans who also see positive elements in the document. Over the course of the coming days we will engage in discussions at leadership level and consider the full implications of all the document before we make public our positions.
"From our perspective, we are looking to see if there is a dynamic in this document to push us forward to the equality and justice which our people deserve, whether or not there is enough in the constitutional stuff to move us forward, in a transitional way, to our primary objective which is still and which always will be the eventual reunification of Ireland," he said.
Asked if he believed the contents of the document would encourage the IRA to maintain its ceasefire, Mr McGuinness said it was too soon to say. "The IRA are very intelligent people and of all the groups involved in trying to make the peace process work, the IRA, in my opinion, have made the greatest contribution." The reaction of people at the march suggested that the Sinn Fein leadership will not have to adopt a "hard sell" approach when dealing with its supporters. "If it's good enough for Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, it will be OK" was a sentiment repeated by many of the marchers.
The former IRA gunrunner, Cllr Martin Ferris, told a commemoration parade in west Belfast that the Sinn Fein talks team got "the best results possible" but remained committed to a united Ireland.
"We are not finished yet and no referendum will change what we are. Keep that in your heads."
Mr Ferris received loud applause when he said: "We will not rest until all our prisoners are free."
The "old system of unionist control imposed and sustained through discrimination, bigotry and intimidation has been exposed to the world and is damned forever", he added.
"The opportunity to translate all this into new change has come from a peace process in which Sinn Fein has paid a central role. It is clear that an agreement that will bring lasting peace and justice must move us beyond partition . . . the playing of the Orange card and the exercise of the unionist veto cannot any longer be used to influence or intimidate political outcomes."
Before Mr Ferris addressed the crowd, journalists were asked to put down their cameras while a statement from the IRA was read out from behind the speakers' stand.
The IRA said it would "carefully study" the talks agreement, "against its potential to move us towards our primary objective, a 32-county democratic socialist republic. We will judge it against its potential to deliver a just and durable peace to our country".