Republican Sinn Fein has never been known for raunchy humour, so there were raised eyebrows at the social night for delegates on Saturday evening at a Drogheda hotel.
A comedian told jokes about perverted priests, female orgasms, and Bill Clinton's sex life. "Is this the kind of entertainment Ruairi O Bradaigh has put on for us?" joked one Derry delegate.
Mr O Bradaigh, who blushed profusely as the night took on a blue hue, insisted the comedian had been booked by the hotel, not himself.
But if the humour was a little unconventional, other parts of the ardfheis were more traditional; no state-of-the art designer stage, now beloved by Provisional Sinn Fein. The RSF platform was decorated simply.
About 120 delegates attended, with nearly two-thirds from the Republic. Most were middle-aged, but there was a forceful group of young people demanding a greater say in the organisation.
The sartorial style was conservative, with a preponderance of open-necked shirts and tweed jackets, although there were a few surprises. One young Dublin activist sported an Italian designer shirt.
Ms Mary Ward from Donegal affectionately scolded south Armagh farmer Eamonn Larkin for his "Armani jeans". "Did you get them from the Provos, Eamonn?" she said.
Mr Larkin, however, had other things on his mind, such as alleged Provisional IRA beatings of other republicans. "Our former friends have taken the worst from the Brits and the Orangemen and are using it on their own."
"They have sold their soul for greed of gold, they have sold their soul like the soupers of old." But Mr Larkin insisted south Armagh would stand firm against the Provisionals and the British government.
"The British used to send in 6080 soldiers on a Chinook [helicopter] to put manners on us. Now they're putting in £6080 million to buy us off. I don't see it working."