Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said she is very pleased that her party emerged as the largest north of the border after last week's UK's general election.
"We have really strong representation ... in Dublin, in Belfast, we've strong representation in London, in Europe, which we intend to use wisely."
Asked if Sinn Féin had lost its momentum south of the border, Ms McDonald said she looked forward to the results of an internal review of its election performance in the local elections, which would be ready on Saturday.
"I will move and we will move very swiftly on the recommendations of that," she said.
"I remain extremely hopeful, extremely optimistic, that we can rally again public opinion behind the idea of a new government for the first time in the history of the State."
Ms McDonald said the party would not publish the review in its entirety, but she committed to setting out its main findings and the direction of travel, saying much of the findings were about internal matters.
Asked about Sinn Féin's abstentionist policy at Westminster, where its MPs do not take up their seats, Ms McDonald said they should be facilitated to do more in the Oireachtas, such as participating in committees, but ruled out attending Westminster.
"They represent Irish people here in Ireland. Of course they should have a role here in the Oireachtas," she said.
