The rapid rise of Sinn Féin's 'formidable' new leader, Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Lou McDonald will be confirmed as the new leader of Sinn Féin today.
She will replace Gerry Adams, who steps down after more than 34 years at the helm of the party.
The Dublin Central TD has made her name in the Dáil with a series of strong performances, and is seen by many as the face of a new generation of republicans.
She has no IRA baggage and hails from a middle-class part of Dublin, where she went to a private fee-paying school.
The mother-of-two, who now lives in Cabra, Dublin, has been clear favourite for some time to replace Gerry Adams, one of the longest serving party leaders in the world.
She was once described by her party colleague Caral Ni Chuilin as "one of the most formidable women in politics".
Born in 1969, Mrs McDonald's background is very different from other leading Sinn Féin politicians.
She was raised in the affluent Rathgar area of Dublin and was educated at Notre Dame, a private fee-paying school in the city. She is a graduate of Trinity College, University of Limerick and DCU.
Her first formal link to politics was as a consultant and researcher with the Institute of European Affairs, a think tank run by Brendan Halligan, the former Labour TD.
In the late 1990s, she joined Fianna Fáil in Dublin West, defecting to Sinn Féin shortly afterwards.
In 2002, Mrs McDonald was Sinn Féin's candidate in Dublin West, but she failed to win a seat in the Dáil.
But two years later, she made history by becoming the party's first MEP.
By 2009, she was deputy leader of the party - and in 2011 became a member of the Dáil for Dublin Central.
Her rapid rise through the Sinn Féin ranks will now see her become the first female leader of the republican party.
But it is set to become a baptism of fire with many difficult issues to be tackled, including a referendum on abortion in the Republic, ongoing Brexit negotiations and attempts to restore powersharing at Stormont.
Despite replacing one of the defining figures of the republican movement, Mrs McDonald has no intention of remaining in Mr Adams' shadow.
In a speech when she became president-elect Mrs McDonald said she intend to walk in her own shoes.
"The truth is, my friends, I won't fill Gerry's shoes but the news is that I brought my own. So I will fill my shoes, I will walk in my shoes," she said.
