President Mary McAleese today revealed she has family members who have joined the Northern Ireland police service.
Mrs McAleese made the remark as she spoke about the move by the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) to allow Croke Park to be opened to soccer and rugby on a temporary basis, which she said had enormously helped reconciliations.
"It is hugely symbolic, hugely, hugely symbolic," she said. "I am looking forward to the games, to the soccer, to the rugby."
Mrs McAleese added: "We see members of the PSNI gaelic football team, on which I have members of my own family — members of my own clan are members of the team — coming down and playing with members of An Garda Siochana."
Her comments came a day after Sinn Fein held a lengthy meeting to discuss policing in Northern Ireland.
Chief Sinn Fein negotiator Martin McGuinness has said the party was working on agreeing a deal on policing in time for restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland next March.
He described Democratic Unionist fears that the timetable would not be met as provocative and said the intervention was a cause for concern.
The party is expected to call an Ard Comhairle, a meeting of the national executive, ahead of an Ard Fheis meeting of all members next year to rubber-stamp joining policing scrutiny bodies the Policing Board and District Policing Partnerships.
Republicans have opposed engaging in policing because of concerns such as the handling of police agents. The DUP has called for engagement before agreeing to form a power-sharing Government.
On the Northern Ireland peace process, Mrs McAleese told RTE Radio: "I think there is a lot of good things to build on. We are certainly in terms of the peace process considerably further down the road then many of us ever dreamt we would be.
"We have reached critical mass — more people believe in the future that is built on the Good Friday Agreement than don't. That includes people who, a few years ago or even a few months ago, might have been fairly sceptical about the Good Friday Agreement."
Mrs McAleese said she was very hopeful a new administration would be in place next March.