There has been fresh criticism of Michelle O'Neill's decision to disregard Covid-19 restrictions by travelling to Dublin on Saturday to attend the formation of the Republic's new coalition government.
The Stormont deputy first minister joined her party leader Mary Lou McDonald and dozens of Sinn Féin TDs at the capital's Convention Centre even though restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant the family of new Taoiseach Micheál Martin could not travel to Dublin from Cork for the event.
Ms O'Neill's Dublin visit came 72 hours before the funeral of Bobby Storey in west Belfast, where her attendance sparked a huge political row and calls for her to step aside.
Sinn Féin has defended both Ms O'Neill's attendance at Tuesday's funeral and her visit to Dublin at the weekend. Notably, however, party colleague Pearse Doherty has said he would not have travelled to Belfast for Mr Storey's funeral had it been days earlier.
"If Bobby’s funeral was last Sunday or last week, then I wouldn’t have been there," he told Newstalk.
"Neither would Mary Lou McDonald because we would not have been allowed... but thankfully those restrictions have eased over the last number of days."
The deputy first minister's decision to travel to Dublin at the weekend has drawn criticism on both sides of the border, with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar saying she "turned up for a photo-op".
"I do think there was a huge contrast between what we saw last Saturday where Micheál Martin became taoiseach and his family couldn’t travel up from Cork to be with him," the Fine Gael leader said.
"In contrast, Michelle O’Neill turned up for a photo-op. It does show a different attitude – Sinn Féin is different to other parties and not in a good way."
SDLP chairman Colin McGrath said there was "no justifiable need" for Ms O’Neill to travel to Dublin on Saturday.
“There is a pattern of behaviour now that confirms that Sinn Féin believes that their movement, their needs and their people are more important than anyone else," the South Down MLA said.
"Proceedings were broadcast live and other people, including Micheál Martin’s own family, had to stay at home – what exempts our joint first minister from the rules she asks others to follow?"
Sinn Féin told other news outlets: “Michelle O’Neill is vice-President of Sinn Fin. For the purposes of her work in that role she travelled from Tyrone to the Convention Centre where she met with the party’s 37 TDs from across the country.”
