A few decades ago, Sinn Fein (pronounced “shin fane”) was a minuscule group known—and shunned—for being the political arm of the Irish Republican Army. In 1992, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was the lone member of his party in the Irish parliament; that year, they received a paltry 1.6 percent of the vote. Once the Good Friday Accords were signed, ending the long conflict in Northern Ireland, many thought Sinn Fein might disappear altogether, having seemingly lost their reason for existing.
