A specially convened meeting of Sinn Féin members was held tonight to assess the fall-out from IRA decommissioning among "troubled" grass roots republicans.
Party president Gerry Adams joined other senior Republican figures, including Martin McGuinness, at the meeting of the Árd Chomhairle to sound out the response from members in the north and south.
Speaking before the meeting in Navan, Co Meath, Mr Adams said many republicans had found it hard to come to terms with the move, which brought an end to the philosophy of an armed struggle against Britain.
Accompanied by veteran republican hardliner Joe Cahill, he also hit out at loyalist violence in north Belfast in recent days, describing it as an attempt to shock the IRA back into action.
Mr Adams said before the closed meeting: "The last week has been a hurtful one for many republicans trying to come to terms with decommissioning. We thought we should meet nationally to discuss the situation.
"Clearly the response from people everywhere is an emotional one. Even those who can rationalise and see the logic and support what is happening are hurting very, very much.
"Republican activists are troubled but we have to recognise that we are in this for the long haul. The prize is a just and peaceful Ireland."
He added: "I believe decommissioning was an act of patriotism. Patriotism requires pain but I believe republicans will remain loyal to us."
Dissension among the executive members - of whom around 40 attended tonight's meeting - was healthy, Mr Adams said.
"It is good that we can be strong and confident enough to agree to disagree. We are not leading sheep," he said.
But the unscheduled meeting comes amid the possibility that hardliners may split from the ranks of Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA and set up splinter groups or join existing ones like the Real IRA.
Mr Adams hoped that stability would quickly return to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which narrowly avoided collapse in the light of the decommissioning move.
A vote to re-install Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble is expected later in the week but the smallest of dissension in his party could scupper his chances.
He could almost guarantee victory if the Women's Coalition redesignated itself as unionist and backed him - a line he is not keen to follow.
But Mr Adams said: "I do not think anyone in his position can be fussy.
"This process needs a political anchor and a centre of gravity if it is to move forward." Demilitarisation has already started at sites on the border between north and south following the decommission, announced by General John de Chastelain last Tuesday.
But Mr Adams repeated his calls for the process to be stepped up.
He was not satisfied with the pace of British Army demilitarisation saying: "A lot more needs to be done. If you had this situation here in Navan or Drumcondra or Kerry it would not be tolerated." And he accused loyalists of orchestrating a campaign of violence to provoke the IRA.
"The loyalist violence is designed to shock the IRA back into action, I have no doubt about that.
"While sectarianism is fuelling loyalist actions the motivation is to bring down the peace process," he said.
PA