const element = mutation.target; }; }); } List of members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Fourth Northern Division of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Former Chief of Staff of the Provisional IRA, "Internment, the IRA and the Lawless Case in Ireland: 1957-61", "1983: IRA members jailed for 4,000 years", "IRA bomb-maker offers to take lie-detector test at tribunal", "Dad of six previously convicted of IRA membership avoids jail sentence for social welfare fraud", CAIN: Peter Heathwood Collection of Television Programmes - 1993 - BBC Northern Ireland News 10 September 1993, http://www.southarmaghmemorialgarden.com/fergalcaraher.htm, http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/22942, "Former IRA bomb-maker testifies of his guilt over Bloody Sunday", "Outrage at blog claiming Mairia Cahill's alleged rape ordeal was 'year-long sexual liaison' - Seamus Finucane shared the blog on his Facebook page", "1975: IRA kidnappers release industrialist", "Female assassin gets life for murder of innocent van driver", "Search for remains of 'Disappeared' victim Joseph Lynskey", "Irish Republican Army Roll of Honour 1969-2003", "Mystery behind how IRA hunger striker built his property empire", "Dublin City Sheriff seizes Tom McFeely's Ballsbridge home", "CAB probes 140,000 find in Tom McFeely house", "Irish Northern Aid Philadelphia IRA Roll of Honor", "Potential champion powerlifter guilty of IRA membership", Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, glaigh na hireann (Real IRA splinter group), https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=List_of_members_of_the_Irish_Republican_Army&oldid=5309861, Last edited on 21 December 2015, at 21:22, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Patrick "Mooch" Blair, convicted bombmaker of the IRA South Armagh Brigade. M5C 2J4, T: 416-686-4063 } else { document.head.append(script); The vast majority are based in Northern Ireland, however, there are operational cells located in other parts of the UK. The other members are Martin McGuinness, Gerard Adams, Martin Ferris, Patrick Doherty and Brian Gillen," Mr Robinson alleged. const cookieData = updateSubscriberCookie(event.detail.object); "Last vote from dying IRA chief; he backs Adams in election". Adams has consistently denied that he was a member of the IRA. On February 20, 2005, Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell publicly named Ferris, Gerry Adams, and Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fin's chief negotiator, as members of the Army Council during a radio interview. }; The British diplomat told the Irish ambassador there was a profound ignorance of Northern Ireland in the United States, adding significantly that he understood the American consulate in Belfast was good. The Provisional IRA began to take shape in early 1970. One might observe, in parentheses, that the Spectator article headed Cold-Blooded Killer comes at a convenient time for the British government, given the fact that Adams is currently on a high-profile visit to the United States. } Read about our approach to external linking. The Garda, through the Special Detective Unit and the secretive National Surveillance Unit, continue to actively assess the capabilities of paramilitary groups north and south of the border. The PSNI said its analysis of the link between the IRA and Sinn Fin remains the same as that laid out in a joint assessment conducted with MI5 in 2015. window.IMP = window.IMP || {}; document.cookie = subscriberCookieName + "=" + JSON.stringify(cookieData) + ';path=/;domain=' + domain + ';max-age='+cookieExpiryInSeconds; window.IMP.config = flipPayConfig; So wasnt he basically just agreeing with himself on Friday? DUP leader Peter Robinson will resume his job as Northern Ireland first minister after stepping aside in September. "The politicising of the garda by Drew Harris is deeply worrying for citizens" said newly elected TD for Mayo Rose Conway-Walsh, who claimed that individual garda were "very upset by his actions. The group was led by chief of staff . In its formative months, the Provisional IRAs effectiveness was blunted by one critical problem: a lack of weapons. 2023 BBC. })(); Premium subscribers enjoy unlimited access to all articles. This is a list of members of the Irish Republican Army. He said: "After all this time there shouldn't be any structures and there shouldn't be an army council, but it really is a distinction without a difference to say there's something special about the army council being involved. 2. The Provisional IRA's Army Council is still in existence and is secretly gathering intelligence, according to a leaked security services' assessment from the summer. Formed in January 1970, the Provisionals were responsible for most of the Republican violence and terrorism carried out between 1971 and 1999. cookieValue = decodeURIComponent(cookieValue); Ms Villiers said while the security assessment states that Provisional IRA members believe that the 'army council' oversees both the IRA and Sinn Fin with an overarching strategy, it judges this has a "wholly political focus". By Sam McBride 2nd Dec . Did a single Sinn Finer - feminist, radical, would-be democrat - oppose Storey's diktat? You have to blow the legs off a four year old boy. The IRAs secretive and decentralised nature meant that many volunteers were unaware of the split, some for several weeks. 'none' : 'registration'; This group formed the nucleus of the Provisional IRA. const script = document.createElement('script'); 4) Introduce a campaign of bombing which repeatedly caused maximum civilian casualties in Northern Ireland and in Britain, with a policy of not claiming those bombings that cost the greatest number of casualties. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and British agencies claimed most of these funds were used to purchase weapons for the Provisional IRA. The IRA is known and even romanticised for the incredible dedication and intensity of its members. However several later reports said the group continued to hold some arms. 2008 (IMC) IRA . It is broken down in sub-lists of various organisations known as the IRA. In December 1969, a clique of younger, more radical volunteers held a series of meetings and formed a seven-man Provisional Army Council. The first priority, they determined, was to defend Catholic communities from attacks and victimisation. The General Army Convention (GAC) is the supreme authority of the IRA and meets bi-annually. return; The IRA has since split numerous times into various factions. In 2015, in a rare official statement on the topic, the office of then Garda commissioner Nirin OSullivan stated the Garda had no information or intelligence that the Provisional IRA still maintains its military structure. 5) Abduct, torture, execute and dump along the border the corpses of men, women and teenagers as required, labeling them as informers. One of their emblems was the phoenix, symbolising the rebirth of the Republican traditions of 1916 and the Irish War of Independence. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The IRA Army Council is the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about independence to the whole island of Ireland and the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. I don't, never have.". 5. THREE prominent Sinn Fein members of the Stormont Assembly, including Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, were named in the House of Commons yesterday as members of the IRA's ruling Army Council. } script.src = flipPayJsUrl; (function () { [4] The three men issued a statement the next day denying the charge. 7) Send many thousands of young people to prison for decades for atrocious Human Rights atrocities. How does the 2015 report compare with other assessments? const bundleValue = getBundleValue(purchase, 'corporate_account'); In previously declassified papers, a former priest in Adams's Ballymurphy neighbourhood said the Sinn Fin leader was "at most No 3" on the IRA army council but his influence on it was "declining" by 1987. The growing sectarianism and violence of 1971-72 swelled their ranks. Authors: Rebekah Poole, Jennifer Llewellyn The Sunday Times has revealed for the first time the full list of the men who run the IRA. 'false' : 'true'; File photograph: Crispin Rodwell. if (!! Henry McDonald Official IRA Terrorist, Workers PartyAgent? j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'? const cookieExpiryInSeconds = 60 * 60 * 24 * 30; Michael Collins, (born October 16, 1890, Woodfield, Sam's Cross, County Cork, Irelanddied August 22, 1922, Bal-na-mBlath, Cork), hero of the Irish struggle for independence, best remembered for his daring strategy in directing the campaign of guerrilla warfare during the intensification of the Anglo-Irish War (1919-21). 13) Bury the truth of the atrocious horror of its Human Rights atrocities behind a hypocritical campaign of legal cases in the very courts of British Justice whose judges and lawyers it previously murdered. Eamonn Mallie unfairly attacks England bomber MartinaAnderson, The National Union of Journalists and the Pat FinucaneCentre. subscriptionFinishDate: '', The IRA is composed of detached cells to protect against infiltration. In its first year, the Provisional IRA was small, undermanned and also short of weapons and munitions. Bloody Sundays Scapegoat Gerald Donaghey(17), Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Danny The Red) and the Battle ofBogside, Irelands Future Chairperson, Frances Black, and the IRALeadership, The GAA and The IRA An Irish LoveStory, Tom Collins, Film Director, IRAVolunteer, Open Letter to Joe Brolly re the IRA Claudy BombingsAtrocity, The Museum of Free Derrys Fraud & DeceitAllegations, Robin Percival The Englishman Who Colonized BloodySunday. } catch (e) { Discover your full benefits as a Premium subscriber. 14) Hide behind the skirts of Sinn Fin and put on the makeup of peacemakers, aided by the three governments who awarded it immunity from prosecution for ending its campaign. The full name for the New IRA is the New Irish Republican Army - although its members describe it as simply the Irish Republican Army. [1] The Provisional IRA was one of the most active republican militant groups during the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century. vars.article.userWall = 'none'; The IRA is thought to consist of up to 400 members and several thousand auxiliary supporters and sympathizers who could be called upon in emergency circumstances. Relatives for Justice: Time for Truth or Time for Really BigLies? Open Letter to Professor Peter Finn, St. Marys University College, re Hosting the Hypocritical Pat Finucane AnnualLecture, Sinn Fins new Ethel Lynch Cumann in Derry and the Cult ofLies. It is also the role of the Army Executive to select the members of the Army Council. He was one of three senior republicans arrested and later released without charge in connection with the murder of Mr McGuigan. const domain = '.independent.ie'; Donations were funnelled through groups masquerading as charities. return 'none'; , . } In 1953, Mac Stofin was arrested and imprisoned in England, along with future IRA leader Cathal Goulding, after stealing weapons from an army base. It has been verified by senior sources in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Irish police. if (isGrantedBy('purchase')) { return key.indexOf('granted_by_') > -1; They produced slogans, posters and press releases that depicted the presence of British soldiers in Northern Ireland as a hostile occupation, calling for a Vietnam-like war of resistance. In their first year, the Provos were restricted to a few small arms, perhaps as few as 60, as well as homemade devices like Molotov cocktails and nail bombs. The following year, the commission seemed to slightly revise this wording to suggest the dissolution of the army council was an ongoing rather than completed process. They recruited carefully to ensure that volunteers were disciplined, reliable and loyal to the cause. The Council had seven members, said by the British and Irish governments to have included Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fin. Toronto, Ontario, Canada vars.user.subscriptionFinishDate = subscriberCookie.subscriptionFinishDate || ''; Turning to Gerry Adams, it was quite clear that Lever shares the general hatred of the man so evident in Britains governing circles., Lever drew Smalls attention to an article in a UK media publication that week. Later, the Provisional IRA developed the Green Book: a comprehensive summary of its political objectives and military strategy, as well as a training manual and code of conduct for individual volunteers. In the Republic, trials for membership take place in the Special Criminal Court (where three judges hear cases without a jury, on the evidence of a Garda superintendent or higher rank) and carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment. When the GAC is not in session, the Army Council becomes the governing authority of the IRA. bundle: 'none', (. However he also claimed that it was his opinion that this by itself did not necessarily amount to a permanent split between the two organisations. The British diplomat was not an admirer of Adams, according to Smalls account of the meeting. Citation information Sunday 27 December 2020 01:37, UK A mural in west Belfast supporting the IRA, but by 1990 the organisation was under extreme pressure from the British military Why you can trust Sky News Theresa Villiers was detailing the findings of an official. 12) Attempt to save face by constantly glorifying past fighters and murderers whose campaign of terror and their own deaths were in the end for nothing. The IRAs criminal activities are thought to generate millions of dollars of funding each year. } (: IRA Army Council) (PIRA) . premium_content: false, } subscriptionStartDate: '', } It adopted this name after the breakaway of the more militant Provisional IRA in late 1969. . Their membership was small initially and they held very few weapons. Bearing the address "Head Quarters, Dublin", it names the seven members of the IRA's ruling army council and the nine members of its general headquarters (GHQ . The IRA was a proscribed organization under the terms of the Offences Against the State Acts passed between 1939 and 1998 in the Republic of Ireland and under equivalent anti-terrorist legislation in the United Kingdom, making membership of it a criminal offence. Change). So when Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said on Friday it was the opinion of the force that one still exerts control over the other, it predictably made political waves. The original IRA emerged in 1917 and consisted of Irish volunteers who refused to join the British Army during World War I. The GAC selects a 12-member Army Executive, which meets semi-annually. 2) Target not only British soldiers who were initially welcomed by the Nationalist community, but also Protestant neighbours, not only members of the RUC and UDR, but also Protestant neighbours who were nothing more than civilians. The IRA is believed to have kept its structure intact since 1994. [5] Mirtn OMuilleoir & The Shadow of aGunman, IRA War Crimes Deliberate Murders ofCivilians. Provisional IRA propaganda harked back to the 1916 Easter Rising and the first IRA. Harris was attending a passing-out parade at Templemore for graduating garda and, as is traditional, made himself available to the media for questions afterwards. const subscriberCookieName = 'subscriber'; try { listenForFlipPayEvents(); But there's more: discover your full benefits now. The report assessed the current status of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, Ms Villiers said the assessment showed the IRA and other main paramilitary groups that operated during the Troubles still existed, Before the DUP decided to return to office, its ministers resigned and were reappointed on numerous occasions, official assessment of paramilitary activity in NI, allegations that Provisional IRA members were involved, senior Sinn Fin member was arrested as part of the inquiry, First Minister Peter Robinson stepped aside, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Whiskey fungus forces Jack Daniels to stop construction, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, India PM Modi urges G20 to overcome divisions, Aboriginal spears taken in 1770 to return to Sydney, Messages reveal battle over Covid school policy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Author and speaker, Shane Paul ODoherty, here examines the activities of the IRA before, during and after what is known as the [Irish] peace process with particular reference to the IRAs unacknowledged Human Rights atrocities and victims. The IRA Army Council was the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about independence to the whole island of Ireland and the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. According to former Provisional IRA member Anthony McIntyre, "Gerry Adams's position on the army council remained for the most part secure, up until 2005 when the IRA announced an end to its war". When Catholics were targeted by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) or Loyalist gangs, the IRA was not organised or equipped to defend them. const getSubscriptionStatus = function (purchase) { Is there any other evidence linking Sinn Fin to the IRA army council? } return 'premium'; Mr Robinson said Mr McGuinness was Chief-of-Staff of the IRA between 1978 and 1982 when republicans under his command murdered 327 people. for (let i = 0, parts; (parts = cookies[i] && cookies[i].split('=')); i++) { The IRA is composed of detached cells to protect against infiltration . They are presented to inform broader social discourse. "It indicates the Chief of Staff is Thomas Murphy, the Assistant Chief is Brian Keenan. This group finalised their mission at a January 1970 meeting of the Provisional Army Council. const eventType = event.detail.event_type; // Check window.dataLayer object or create. March 1, 1981: Bobby Sands, an Irish-Catholic IRA member, starts what will become a 66-day hunger strike. let bodyAvailable = false; The report lists a wide range of intelligence-gathering methods used to form the conclusions including surveillance, eavesdropping, covert intelligence agents and open source information such as internet postings. Events in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s had a significant impact on the Irish Republican Army (IRA). if (subscriberCookieStatus === "undefined") { The provisional Irish Republican Army, or IRA, is an outgrowth of an older group known as the Irish Republican Army, which fought an insurgency that successfully challenged British rule in. const vars = JSON.parse('{"attributes":{"inmproduct":"amp","virtualview":"false"},"category":{"pageType":"Article","primaryCategory":"Irish News","regionals":"","sectionId":"77","subCategory1":"n\/a","subCategory2":"n\/a","subCategory3":"n\/a","subCategory4":"n\/a"},"page":{"pageName":"In:Irish News:Robinson \u0027names\u0027 IRA Army council members","pageTitle":"Robinson \u0027names\u0027 IRA Army council members","publication":"Independent.ie"},"user":{"gigyaID":"","subscriptionStatus":"","subscriptionStartDate":"","subscriptionFinishDate":"","userID":""},"article":{"articleID":"26086260","articleType":"News","articleLayout":"standard","author":"Dominic Cunningham","createdAt":"2007-05-10 09:02:59","modifiedAt":"2012-11-24 07:05:18","publishedAt":"2001-05-08 23:11:00","wallType":"none","wallVisible":"false","relatedContent":{"gallery":0,"news":0,"photos":0,"soundcloud":0,"videos":0},"source":"","tags":"","topics":""}}' || '{}'); The group has also received funding and weapons from Libya, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and sympathizers in the United States. IRA propaganda chiefs developed material for American audiences that played on anti-British sentiment and Republican political ideas while avoiding the IRAs links with socialism. In 2005, the Independent Monitoring Commission on Decommissioning said, based on Irish and UK government estimates, the IRA had disposed of all its weapons. At this point the IRA began to split into two separate armies: the Official IRA, led by Goulding, and the more militant Provisionals, led by Mac Stofin. const subscriberCookieName = 'subscriber'; observer.disconnect(); A historians view: For more information on usage, please refer to our Terms of Use. subscriptionFinishDate: purchase.granted_by_app_purchase.finish_at, The IRA primarily targets senior government officials, civilians, police, and British military targets. } childList: true, Most American financial support for the IRA was channeled through seemingly innocuous organisations, like the Northern Aid Committee (NORAID). One was future Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuinness: he mistakenly joined the Official IRA in 1970 only to cross over to the Provisionals shortly after. Theresa Villiers was detailing the findings of an official. let flipPayConfig = { Mr Storey, a former IRA prisoner, is the northern chairman of Sinn Fin. The inquiry heard the Sinn Fin minister for finance Mirtn Muilleoir consulted a number of former IRA members and senior republican Ted Howell, a long-standing confidante of former Sinn Fin president Gerry Adams. meteredAccess: purchase.metered_paywall, El Tortuosa , This torturer got his rank when the IRA. Responding to the assessment, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said Sinn Fin is now the only organisation involved in the republican struggle. Accusations that Sinn Fin is controlled by the army council surfaced again recently when documents were released during Northern Ireland's "cash-for-ash" inquiry showing one of its ministers. bundle: 'premium-plus', } else if (Object.keys(p.badge || {}).indexOf('premium') > -1) { subtree: true, The Provisional IRA obtain most of its money and weapons abroad, particularly the Republic and the United States. Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. The New Irish Republican Army, . } Operational decisions are made by a central command cadre of approximately 40 middle-ranking members. The East Belfast MP said he was demanding an enquiry into the activities of the IRA "during the time the minister of education was in command". The Provisional IRA was younger, tougher and advocated a more intensive military campaign against the British administration. vars.user.gigyaID = gigyaID || ''; }); } // Regionals Container let cookieValue = parts.join('='); var p = purchase['granted_by_' + purchaseType]; if (isGrantedBy('app_purchase')) { In 1985, The Sunday Times named Thomas "Slab" Murphy as a prominent IRA member. Uncovering the Irish Republican Army. Janes Intelligence Review. The IRA has carried out hundreds of firearm and low-intensity bomb attacks. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The first split occurred in 1921 after the Anglo-Irish Treaty, with supporters of the Treaty forming the National Army of the Irish Free State of the British Commonwealth on one hand, and the Irish Republican Army of the anti-treaty forces on the other. Harry McGee is a Political Correspondent with The Irish Times, Our politics teams behind-the-scenes take on events of the day. 7 . if (eventType === 'access_resolved' || eventType === 'access_resolved ') { meteredAccess: purchase.metered_paywall, window.loadGTM = function () { "The headquarters staff: the Quartermaster, Kevin Agnew; Adjutant General, Martin Lynch; Engineering Department, Bernard Fox; Director of Education, James Monaghan; Director of Finances, Patrick Thompson; Operations Officer, Sean Hughes; Director of Intelligence, Robert Story; Internal Security, Patrick Murphy and Kevin McBride," the DUP MP said. The founding members of the Provisional IRA were long-serving Republicans. Mr Adams told the House that Mr McGuinness had stated clearly earlier in the day he was no longer a member of the IRA and claimed the debate was more about the ongoing battle within unionism. } else if (Object.keys(p.badge || {}).indexOf('epaper-access') > -1) { const observer = new MutationObserver(onMutation); IRA Army Council) , . mutations.forEach((mutation) => { (LogOut/ 'false' : 'true'; In short: Assessment of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. One of the Provos first priorities was the acquisition of weapons and the money to purchase them. THE MACKENZIE INSTITUTE Harriss comments were simple and brief but they have been interpreted in vastly different ways by Sinn Fins opponents and supporters. Seamus Clarke, member of the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade; was sentenced to life for his role in the 1975, Terence "Cleaky" Clarke (died 13 June 2000), older brother of Seamus; acted as a body guard to Gerry Adams; was imprisoned for seven years after being convicted of assaulting, Seamus Finucance - senior IRA member and one of those alleged to have forced, Sean McIlvenna (1951-1984), killed by Loyalists, Michael O'Neill, Limerick man convicted of the manslaughter of Garda, Jeremiah Sheehy, Limerick man convicted of the manslaughter of Garda. item_group_code: "pfc_indo", There have been many official reports on the IRA and its army council since decommissioning and they have not always agreed with each other. Another one or two may have had reservations although they too went along with the decision.. It developed strategy and propaganda to attract new recruits, obtain weapons and generate funding. [2], The Army Council of the IRA split in December 1969 and a "Provisional" Army Council emerged as the head of the newly formed Provisional Irish Republican Army.[3]. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said it was the view of the force that the IRA Provisional Army Council oversees both the IRA and Sinn Fin. The Independent Monitoring Commission declared in 2008 that the council was "no longer operational or functional". meteredAccess: purchase.metered_paywall, The founding members of the Provisional IRA were long-serving Republicans. The Council had seven members, said by the British and Irish governments to have included Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fin. By which he presumably meant that it was sympathetic to the British point of view, observed Small. Between 1970 and 1972 the Provisional IRA expanded its numbers to at least 1,000 men. [citation needed], On February 20, 2005, Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell publicly named Ferris, Gerry Adams, and Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fin's chief negotiator, as members of the Army Council during a radio interview.