Sinn Féin delegates gather in Dublin this evening for what could be yet another historic ardfheis, wrties Paul Anderson.
With the party thought to be on the brink of joining policing boards in the North, a high expectation that the IRA will announce a significant move, and the British Prime Minister's stated determination to fully implement the Belfast Agreement, what party president Gerry Adams and chief negotiator Martin McGuinness say, will be scanned carefully for clues by all concerned with the peace process.
The effect of the traditional St Patrick's Day trip to the White House is not yet known but unionists and Sinn Féin have been keeping their heads down of late, suggesting both are being careful not to allow injudicious words damage some kind of understanding.
The amount of time President Bush gave to the various delegations suggests he thought it would be worth his while. On Pennsylvania Avenue and Downing Street, Bertie Ahern's stance on Mr Bush and Mr Blair's Iraq project is read as tacit support and all three would certainly welcome anything resembling a good news day - and the sooner the better.
Mr Adams insists full implementation of the Belfast Agreement is entirely within the gift of Mr Blair, and the Prime Minister has offered an "act of completion" on his part which suggests that changes on the use of plastic bullets, the disbandment of the special branch, and the transfer of powers on policing and justice are available.
But of course, Sinn Féin must deliver some completion of their own. Mr Blair's milestone speech at the Harbour Masters in Belfast last October carefully avoided calling for IRA disbandment. "Acts", note the plural, of "completion" are required, he said.
This suggests that while something very spicy is required from Sinn Féin, the whole enchilada is not necessary if Assembly elections scheduled for May are to take place.
Neutrality, the EU, social partnership, housing, agriculture and more are all on the agenda for this weekend's ardfheis. Pretty much like any other political party's agm. And this liking for political legitimacy is an added pressure on the IRA and the Sinn Féin leadership, whose good offices are needed to create the circumstances under which the paramilitary link that hampers their political ambitions can be broken.
The party wants the elections in May to go ahead as scheduled. The SDLP are regrouping but not quick enough to avert further electoral losses to Sinn Féin . And local elections in the Republic take place in June - again the party will be looking for big gains.
A major move from both Sinn Féin and the IRA would help maximise the party's chances at the polls. But a minor move could lead the electorate North and South to question the party's commitment to the penultimate goal - full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Adams's presidential address on Saturday evening and Mr McGuiness's speech on Sunday morning could reveal something of the party's intentions if Assembly elections are to take place as scheduled. Significant progress will be required if the party's political ambitions are to be satiated in the early summer, meaning moves, which are usually preceded by words, must come soon.