Whether a republic?

Sinn Fein’s leader since february 2018, Mary Lou McDonald, replaced Gerry Adams who seemed always to be surrounded by controversy.
Gerry Adams was leader of Sinn Fein between 1983 and 2018. He is now a member of Seanad Eireann which is described as the upper chamber of the Irish Parliament in Dublin, and said to play an advisory role with regard to legislation.
In Seanad Eireann (the Senate), unlike Dail Eireann, the members of which are selected by popular vote, members are elected by special panels that are not made known to the public. The Seanad has 60 Members, only eleven of which are appointed by the taoiseach.
Aside from the upper and lower houses, the Irish government is said to also include the courts, and the president, Michael D Higgins who is thought by some to be the queens delegate. Often foreign heads of state are greeted by the president, the taoiseach is very often not involved; and new legislation in reality, has to be agreed by both upper and lower houses of Parliament and then signed by the president.
In Northern Ireland Sinn Fein is currently following a policy of abstentionism, reported in the papers to be because of a quarrel concerning the Irish language bill, which doesn’t seem feasible. This is not in keeping with the terms of the good friday agreement.
Brexit is considering a united Ireland. A hard border is what the British say they want to avoid at all costs. Yet a hard border might help to curtail the flow of drugs and other substances, much of which are said to be entering the south via Northern Ireland.