Its central role in many events marking the death of Queen Elizabeth II would once have been unimaginable.
But in the past decade Sinn Féin's tone and approach towards the British monarchy has transformed beyond all recognition.
By a twist of fate, the republican party found itself leading tributes in Northern Ireland, as it holds key ceremonial offices in both Stormont and Belfast.
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The Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey, a lifelong republican who was twice interned during the Troubles, recalled MLAs to the Assembly to pay their respects to the Queen.
He also delivered a speech of condolence to the new King Charles III at Hillsborough Castle on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland.
With Sinn Féin becoming the largest party at Stormont in May, vice-president Michelle O'Neill was the first MLA to pay tribute during the special Assembly sitting on Monday.
And as Belfast lord mayor, Sinn Féin councillor Christina Black represented citizens at St Anne’s Cathedral during a memorial service on Tuesday for the Queen.
Irish News columnist Brian Feeney said the Queen's historic visit to the Republic in 2011 was the moment that led to attitudes changing.
While Sinn Féin snubbed the visit, the Queen won praise for reaching out. Her symbolic acts included laying a wreath in Dublin's Garden of Remembrance to remember those who fought against British rule in 1916.
It laid the groundwork for a historic meeting in Northern Ireland the following year when the monarch shook hands with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander.
Mr Feeney said: "This has been an evolution. In many ways they were able to reciprocate the Queen's attitude to them in the last 10 years and not lose anything."
Nationalist commentator Chris Donnelly said Sinn Féin's past approach was about "highlighting the wrongs of British occupation and conduct in Ireland".
But he said moments in recent years, such as Ms O'Neill's letter congratulating the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee, have continued to show a shift in direction.
Mr Donnelly said that with Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald on the cusp of becoming Taoiseach after the Republic's next election, "part of this is positioning themselves to be the next Irish government".
"That's part of why they're saying 'Northern Ireland' now," he added.
And with the party continuing to lobby for a border poll, he said: "They want to be highlighting how they're willing to accommodate the British and unionist minority in Ireland."
While Sinn Féin has been involved in remembrance of the Queen, it did not participate in events at Hillsborough Castle at the weekend marking King Charles' accession to the throne.
Danny Morrison, Sinn Féin's former director of publicity, said the overtures from the party were a "gesture towards unionist sensibilities more than anything else".
The veteran republican, who organised a protest march in Belfast in 1977 against a visit by the Queen, said: "I mean in principle as republicans, we do not favour monarchy and the British monarchy regarding Ireland.
"But we live in 2022, we're in a process of transition and it would be impolitic to express our resentment in the current circumstances."
With Sinn Féin's changing approach towards the monarchy, could there ever be a time when the party's MPs drop their abstentionism and take their seats at Westminster?
Mr Feeney responded: "No, because what they're careful to do is to distinguish between the person and the symbolism.
"They don't recognise the monarchy as having any role to play in Ireland. In many ways the monarchy embodies the British imperial history, so they just won't do it."
Mr Donnelly said the oath of allegiance sitting MPs must take to the Queen would make such a shift unlikely.
"If you removed the oath I think we would be at a much closer point where Sinn Féin might take seats in the Commons," he said.
"I have always thought that the closer they get to the point of Irish unity that it will be likely that republicans would sit in the Commons, if only to demonstrate what they would want to see from unionists in a united Ireland. They don't want them boycotting the Dáil."
But Mr Morrison replied: "Never. You can't go into the House of Commons, take part in British legislation and then complain about the British interfering in Irish affairs, and that's aside from the oath."
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