Mary Lou McDonald was officially ratified as the new Sinn Féin leader at a special Ard Fheis in the RDS in Dublin this afternoon.
Around 2,000 delegates gathered at the conference for the historic handing over of the presidency.
In her first speech as the new party leader Mrs McDonald said she wanted to secure and win a referendum on Irish unity.
“I want us to achieve this with respect, graciousness and generosity.
“Irish unity cannot be a crude exercise of simply stitching north to south and returning to business as usual.
“We do not want a 32-county free state. We want a new Ireland, in which rights are guaranteed, cultures respected and the diversity of our identities embraced,” she added.
She said that as a new generation takes the reins of Sinn Féin leadership it was now time to bring “innovative and modern ways of advancing our politics.”
“Now is the time for fresh thinking and bold ideas to take us forward,” she said.
“Our focus must be on building Sinn Fein into an organisation that is fit for purpose, and our purpose is to win, to win elections, to increase our political strength, to realise our ambition of being in government north and south, to win progressive political victories every single day. And ultimately to win Irish unity.”
Mrs McDonald warned that Brexit represents a real threat to the prosperity, economic, social and political life of Ireland.
“It fundamentally challenges 20 years of hard-won progress.
“There can be no imposition of a border on the island of Ireland.
“Ireland will not be the collateral damage in the political games and antics of Tories in London,” she added.
Referring to the political crisis at Stormont she insisted that Sinn Féin is “up for a deal”.
She said: “We are committed to real powersharing, to working for agreement with our unionist partners.
“We want the Assembly and Executive up and running. This can only happen on the basis of equality, respect and integrity for all.
“The talks are ongoing. The Sinn Fein team is committed to positive outcome,” she said.
Paying tribute to Mr Adams, who announced in November that he would be stepping aside after 34 years in the role, Mrs McDonald said: “There would be no Good Friday Agreement, no peace process without Gerry Adams. My political mentor. An inspirational leader. A great friend.
“When others said it was impossible, Gerry Adams, along with Martin McGuinness, John Hume and indeed others, bravely walked the path to peace.”