Battered Sinn Féin believes it can get up off the canvas

The party has set up an internal review, with each party branch asked to send in a report on the performance in their own area and to identify where the organisation is weak

Pearse Doherty, Mary Lou McDonald and Matt Carthy of Sinn Féin Picture: PA

Sinn Féin’s deputy Dáil leader Pearse Doherty got through a session of leaders’ questions last Wednesday without once raising his voice or gesticulating in the direction of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

It led opposition TDs to suggest that the man sometimes called ‘Mr Angry’ for his fierce denunciations of government policy was turning into ‘Mr Nice Guy’.

“They have obviously decided that a softer approach is required after the local and European elections debacle,” ...