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==President of Sinn Féin==
{{unreferenced|date=June 2006}}
In 1978, Gerry Adams became joint-vice-president of Sinn Féin and he became a key figure in directing a challenge to the Sinn Féin leadership of President Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and joint-Vice President Daithí O'Conaill. Others who supported Adams and were from Belfast included Jim Gibney, Tom Hartley, and [[Danny Morrison (activist)|Danny Morrison)]]. Some characterize the different approaches as a conflict between a more pragmatic northern leadership which surrounded Adams and the more traditional [[Irish nationalism|nationalist]] leadership of [[Ruairí Ó Brádaigh]], who was President of Provisional Sinn Féin from its inception until 1983. This view misses the complexity of the situation.
The 1975 IRA-British truce is often viewed as the event that began the challenge to the original Provisional Sinn Féin leadership, which was said to be Southern-based and dominated by southerners like Ó Brádaigh and O'Conaill. However, the Chief of Staff of the IRA at the time, [[Seamus Twomey]], was a senior figure from Belfast. Others in the leadership were also Northern based, including Billy McKee from Belfast. Adams (allegedly) rose to become the most senior figure in the [[IRA Northern Command]] on the basis of his absolute rejection of anything but military action, but this conflicts with the fact that during his time in prison Adams came to reassess his approach and became more political. It is alleged that "provisional" republicanism was founded on its opposition to the [[communist]]-inspired "broad front" politics of the [[Cathal Goulding]]'s [[Official IRA]], but this too is disputed.
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