Northern Campaign (IRA)
Encyclopedia
Northern Campaign is a term used to describe attacks involving volunteers of the Irish Republican Army
(IRA) during the Second World War between September 1942 and December 1944. It was a plan conceived by the then IRA Northern Command
to launch attacks within Northern Ireland
during this period. The plan, however, did not translate into tangible or co-ordinated action on the part of IRA units during the time frame. The title "Campaign" can largely be interpreted as having meaning only to the IRA Army Council
of the period and later generations of IRA volunteers and Irish republicans.
This was the second republican campaign against the Northern Ireland polity. The first took place during the Irish War of Independence
, the third took place from 1956–1962
, and the fourth took place from 1969–1997.
meeting at an Army Conference in Belfast
. The IRA Northern Command controlled IRA operations and issued orders to IRA volunteers in Counties Antrim
, Armagh
, Down
, Fermanagh
, Tyrone
, and Derry
, along with major population centres such as Derry
and Belfast. The chairman of the meeting was Hugh McAteer
, then Commanding Officer (CO) of the IRA in Belfast. McAteer presided over a meeting involving more than thirty men, with the most notable figures of IRA Northern Command being:
At this meeting, McAteer took over as CO of Northern Command with O'Reilly assuming the role of his Adjutant and John Graham
becoming IO and Director of Publicity. Discussions at the meeting focused on a campaign against the government of Northern Ireland
and forces acting under its control including the British Army
. It was hoped that the promise of a new IRA campaign to end partition
would help galvanise a weakened IRA throughout the entire island.
The meeting saw a decision whereby IRA Northern Command was to elect a new IRA Army Executive to oversee this campaign. It was felt that since the 1938 IRA Army Executive had largely been interned, imprisoned upon conviction, or died, between the period 1938 - 1941, new leadership was needed- a leadership that would carry on what they understood to be the "struggle against occupation" in Ireland.
The Northern Command and IRA volunteers based in Northern Ireland had been largely more successful in evading detention and arrest than their counterparts in Éire
, (the region formerly known as the Irish Free State
). IRA volunteers in Northern Ireland had never enjoyed the freedom of movement and association enjoyed by IRA volunteers in the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1936. It is also worth mentioning that these men had not felt contaminated by the actions of disgraced former IRA Chief of Staff (CS) Stephen Hayes, the "Hayes Affair" being an episode widely seen as damaging morale within the IRA. Hayes was believed at the time to have been an informer
on, and traitor to, the IRA. The IRA Northern Command and units acting under it had also suffered from detection, arrest and internment
during the period but had not suffered the problems of enemy infiltration now endemic to the IRA south of the border.
, County Kildare
, and those IRA volunteers still at liberty. Added to this were a series of political splits pivoting on which the direction the IRA should take at this juncture. The as yet unannounced, but widely accepted, failure of the S-Plan
campaign, ongoing IRA collusion with the Abwehr
, (German Intelligence), and the landing of American
troops within Northern Ireland on 26 January 1942 all combined to form a crisis for the IRA. While the British Government had decided not to conscript in Northern Ireland following mass protests in 1941, a large number of citizens from Northern Ireland & Éire had joined the British Army to fight in World War II
- decreasing the potential recruitment base of the IRA.
Legislative changes in both Éire, and Britain circa. 1940 had seen internment and harsher laws introduced to combat the IRA's activity during the S-Plan campaign. Internment had been introduced by the Government of Northern Ireland in 1938. Detentions arising from these moves, combined with executions of IRA volunteers in Britain and Éire, had weakened IRA morale and structure. The IRA response, hunger strike
s conducted languishing in prisons in Britain, Northern Ireland, and Éire, weakened the organisation still further. It fell to IRA volunteers still at liberty to attempt to reorganise the IRA and any IRA military action that could be mustered.
Bowyer Bell, in his history of the IRA, states that at the beginning of 1942 there were over 300 IRA volunteers in four companies constituting the Belfast unit. These men were led by the small group calling itself Northern Command. Compared to the IRA that remained active/available in population centres such as Dublin, the Northern Command was by far the strongest remaining hub of IRA volunteers left at liberty in Ireland. In attempting to organise the "Northern Campaign", the Northern Command enlisted the help of Patrick Dermody, CO. of IRA Eastern Command, the CO. of IRA Western Command, Tommy Farrell
, and the remaining productive elements of IRA Dublin centre including Charlie Kerins
and Mick Quill.
IRA arms caches did still exist. They were largely scattered throughout inaccessible, rural areas of Ireland
, and usually only known to only one or two volunteers from the surrounding area. Many IRA units in rural areas had received little attention from the General Headquarters of the IRA, (GHQ), in sometime and they had also not seen active duty in over a decade. After election in April 1942, the new IRA Army Council began to make attempts to reach out to them and to gather up the arms they watched over.
The basic plan of the IRA Army Council, as explained by Bowyer Bell, was to:
By August this movement of arms had taken place, Tommy Farrell and Patrick Dermody reported that combined, they had accumulated a total of over twelve tons of arms, munitions, and explosives, without alerting the authorities in Éire or Northern Ireland.
The campaign plan envisioned that once the arms were assembled and smuggled into Northern Ireland they would be distributed to waiting IRA units described as:
This tactic, (the flying column
), was still to be found in use 20 years later during the Border Campaign
when it was discovered in a captured copy of the IRA's training manual The Green Book
.
) would be distracted enough to allow a large meeting of the Command to take place. The operation went wrong and in the ensuring gun battle at Cawnpore Street in Belfast, 1 RUC member was killed and the entire IRA unit of 6 men were captured. The captured unit included Joe Cahill
. All 6 were put on trial for murder but 5 later had their sentences commuted to life, leaving Tom Williams
facing the hangman.
Behan was later arrested in Dublin and received fourteen years in prison.
The third incident in the time line involved Frank Morris, who began shooting when detained at a RUC border checkpoint in Strabane
. He was captured 10 hours later that day, found hiding, immersed up to his neck in river water.
A passing RUC patrol, however, noticed the IRA convoy as it moved through Cullaville
, Co. Armagh. In the ensuing gun battle, one IRA man was injured along with one RUC member. Conflicting accounts exist of the outcome. It was claimed that the IRA unit surrendered and was released, all survivors being allowed to return to Dublin; however, the aforementioned White claims that it was the RUC men (there were only two of them) who surrendered to the IRA and were later released. In any case, the element of surprise was lost and the intention to attack the barracks was abandoned.
The raid caused alarm for the authorities in Éire, who up until then had believed the IRA was crushed south of the border and incapable of preparing or launching attacks of this scale. Volunteers Liam Cotter and Jerry Mahoney, both from Listowel, Co. Kerry were arrested by Irish police.
There was no declaration of war as for the S-Plan
Campaign. The IRA was much more muted when they issued a "special manifesto". The contents of this manifesto were reported in "The Times" as:
The Times
goes on to say that the manifesto indicated the IRA's intention to, "avail themselves of the darkest moment in England's history to strike", and continues:
Following the initial raid in September, the RUC and Irish Special Branch stepped up their efforts against the IRA. A series of arms finds and arrests were made.
Despite increased pressure on the IRA, Bowyer-Bell reports a total of 60 armed attacks by the IRA in the 3 months up to December 1942. He estimates that these attacks would've been carried out by the remaining fifty to sixty IRA volunteers that still remained at large in Northern Ireland. Units in South Londonderry, and South Armagh that previously could be relied on to engage in operations were no longer able to function as IRA GHQ required. IRA GHQ also began to lose contact with units in Counties Cavan and Monaghan
and within the Western Command area. Bowyer-Bell states of the late-1943 to mid-1943 period:
This indicated a growing realisation within the then IRA Army Council that the failure of campaigns like the 1939 - 1940 S-Plan, and the ongoing "Northern Campaign" could not be sustained without political support from the IRA's base- the people. This view was to fully mature within the IRA during the period 1948 - 1950.
and warned that US troops could expect to be targeted in any,
The statement hints at a "lack" of hostilities between the IRA and British Forces at the time. In fact, the IRA had declared war on Britain in 1939 via the S-Plan Campaign, only to see it peter out after 15 months. Then the IRA decided on the "Northern Campaign" in 1942. Both campaigns appear to have ground to a halt by the time this statement was issued. However, no declaration of ceasefire or the campaigns ending had yet been made. From this it could appear that the IRA Army Council was not able to accept the reality of the situation- the total collapse of the IRA throughout the island, and the utter failure of both campaigns. The statement continued in optimistic manner:
was yet to be established. The IRA would use this reasoning to justify future efforts to destabilise and launch attacks within the United Kingdom.
Additionally, the IRA was seen by many of the base community as operating in league with the Axis (see below). This was seen by the nationalists in Ulster as abetting the enemy who bombed Ireland. I the republic, this was seen as a violation of Éamon de Valera
's rigorous adherence neutrality.
With the death of Kerins in June 1944, the IRA no longer had a Chief of Staff, there was no longer a GHQ, or even an IRA Army Council, there wasn't even a band of men to lead and call the IRA. Internment by the Government of Éire had almost wiped out the organisation both as an effective fighting force, and as an organisation willing & able to fight. The IRA was to come to see this as a bitter betrayal by their fellow countrymen.
The Irish Minister of Justice, Gerald Boland
, was heard to boast during the period that,
Naturally the IRA had assisted in its own near extinction- as late as 1947, twenty-five IRA "lifers", (prisoners serving life sentences), remained in British prisons. Until 1950, twelve IRA volunteers remained in Crumlin Road Prison, Belfast, serving sentences for IRA involvement, and it wasn't until the change of Government in Éire in 1948 that the last IRA internee's were released from Portlaoise Prison
.
Under this climate of fierce scrutiny by the authorities, and without increases in IRA recruitment to offset losses, the series of attacks labeled the Northern Campaign died in the winter of 1942 within 3 months of it beginning. The first attack, a failure even before reaching the objective, had not been followed up with anything substantive or spectacular. IRA units along the border who were meant to wage a series of sporadic attacks against border targets found they could no longer operate. The IRA Army Council, lacking imagination and room for manoeuvre, found itself isolated from its base community and volunteers. The IRA was entirely crippled.
would be prepared to install the IRA into Government should the Nazis win the war. This Army Council, nearly composed entirely of IRA Northern Command, seemed unaware to the full extent of IRA contact with the German Government via Abwehr
and Foreign Ministry agents since before 1938. A resolution captured in the minutes states the objective:
The minutes go on to say that GHQ assumes the authority:
Despite the rhetoric, the IRA during the period, while capable of keeping links with Nazi Intelligence alive was incapable of doing much about any plans they or the German government may have wished them to undertake. The Abwehr and Foreign Ministry had appeared to realise the same fact by late 1943.
When the Allies found out the extent of the IRA's involvement of with the Nazis through review of German records, this led to a loss of credibility that was only overcome at the start of the "Troubles" in 1969. It also put de Valera under suspicion in the American and Canadian public's minds when his message of condolence to the German Minister upon Hitler's death in 1945 was made public. It helped delay a lot of investment in Ireland from the Irish-American and Irish-Canadian communities well until the 1970s.
Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)
The original Irish Republican Army fought a guerrilla war against British rule in Ireland in the Irish War of Independence 1919–1921. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921, the IRA in the 26 counties that were to become the Irish Free State split between supporters and...
(IRA) during the Second World War between September 1942 and December 1944. It was a plan conceived by the then IRA Northern Command
IRA Northern Command
Northern Command was a command division in the Irish Republican Army and Provisional IRA, responsible for directing IRA operations in the northern part of Ireland.-IRA:...
to launch attacks within Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
during this period. The plan, however, did not translate into tangible or co-ordinated action on the part of IRA units during the time frame. The title "Campaign" can largely be interpreted as having meaning only to the IRA Army Council
IRA Army Council
The IRA Army Council was the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The council had seven members, said by the...
of the period and later generations of IRA volunteers and Irish republicans.
This was the second republican campaign against the Northern Ireland polity. The first took place during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, the third took place from 1956–1962
Border Campaign (IRA)
The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland.Popularly referred to as the Border Campaign, it was also referred to as the...
, and the fourth took place from 1969–1997.
Context of the campaign
February 1941 saw non-interned members of the IRA Northern CommandIRA Northern Command
Northern Command was a command division in the Irish Republican Army and Provisional IRA, responsible for directing IRA operations in the northern part of Ireland.-IRA:...
meeting at an Army Conference in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. The IRA Northern Command controlled IRA operations and issued orders to IRA volunteers in Counties Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
, Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, and Derry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, along with major population centres such as Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
and Belfast. The chairman of the meeting was Hugh McAteer
Hugh McAteer
Hugh McAteer was a volunteer in, and leader of, the Irish Republican Army.A bookkeeper by profession, McAteer was from Derry. He served as IRA Chief of Staff from 1941 until 12 October 1942, when he was captured and arrested by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He was later sentenced to 15 years...
, then Commanding Officer (CO) of the IRA in Belfast. McAteer presided over a meeting involving more than thirty men, with the most notable figures of IRA Northern Command being:
- Sean Dolan Adjutant to Hugh McAteer,
- Intelligence officer (IO) Gerald O'Reilly,
- Patsy Hicks Commanding Officer (CO) of the ARP raid,
- Dan McAllister and,
- Tom WilliamsTom Williams (republican)Thomas Joseph Williams, more commonly known as Tom Williams, was a volunteer in C Company, 2nd Battalion of the Belfast Brigade in the Irish Republican Army from the Bombay Street area of Belfast, Northern Ireland...
Acting CO of Belfast IRA C Company.
At this meeting, McAteer took over as CO of Northern Command with O'Reilly assuming the role of his Adjutant and John Graham
John Graham (republican)
John S.S. Graham was an important Irish Republican Army activist in the 1940s.He was one of a group of Protestants who joined the IRA, and for a time in the 1940s they formed a company of the IRA in Belfast...
becoming IO and Director of Publicity. Discussions at the meeting focused on a campaign against the government of Northern Ireland
Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Executive Committee or the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland was the government of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Generally known as either the Cabinet or the Government, the Executive Committee existed from 1922 to 1972...
and forces acting under its control including the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. It was hoped that the promise of a new IRA campaign to end partition
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
would help galvanise a weakened IRA throughout the entire island.
The meeting saw a decision whereby IRA Northern Command was to elect a new IRA Army Executive to oversee this campaign. It was felt that since the 1938 IRA Army Executive had largely been interned, imprisoned upon conviction, or died, between the period 1938 - 1941, new leadership was needed- a leadership that would carry on what they understood to be the "struggle against occupation" in Ireland.
The Northern Command and IRA volunteers based in Northern Ireland had been largely more successful in evading detention and arrest than their counterparts in Éire
Éire
is the Irish name for the island of Ireland and the sovereign state of the same name.- Etymology :The modern Irish Éire evolved from the Old Irish word Ériu, which was the name of a Gaelic goddess. Ériu is generally believed to have been the matron goddess of Ireland, a goddess of sovereignty, or...
, (the region formerly known as the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
). IRA volunteers in Northern Ireland had never enjoyed the freedom of movement and association enjoyed by IRA volunteers in the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1936. It is also worth mentioning that these men had not felt contaminated by the actions of disgraced former IRA Chief of Staff (CS) Stephen Hayes, the "Hayes Affair" being an episode widely seen as damaging morale within the IRA. Hayes was believed at the time to have been an informer
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
on, and traitor to, the IRA. The IRA Northern Command and units acting under it had also suffered from detection, arrest and internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
during the period but had not suffered the problems of enemy infiltration now endemic to the IRA south of the border.
Strength of the IRA
The IRA was literally split during the period by those held in places like "K-Lines" (No.1 Internment camp) CurraghCurragh
The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also...
, County Kildare
Kildare
-External links:*******...
, and those IRA volunteers still at liberty. Added to this were a series of political splits pivoting on which the direction the IRA should take at this juncture. The as yet unannounced, but widely accepted, failure of the S-Plan
S-Plan
The S-Plan or Sabotage Campaign or England Campaign was a campaign of bombing and sabotage against the civil, economic, and military infrastructure of the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1940, conducted by members of the Irish Republican Army . It was conceived by Seamus O'Donovan in 1938 at the...
campaign, ongoing IRA collusion with the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
, (German Intelligence), and the landing of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
troops within Northern Ireland on 26 January 1942 all combined to form a crisis for the IRA. While the British Government had decided not to conscript in Northern Ireland following mass protests in 1941, a large number of citizens from Northern Ireland & Éire had joined the British Army to fight in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- decreasing the potential recruitment base of the IRA.
Legislative changes in both Éire, and Britain circa. 1940 had seen internment and harsher laws introduced to combat the IRA's activity during the S-Plan campaign. Internment had been introduced by the Government of Northern Ireland in 1938. Detentions arising from these moves, combined with executions of IRA volunteers in Britain and Éire, had weakened IRA morale and structure. The IRA response, hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
s conducted languishing in prisons in Britain, Northern Ireland, and Éire, weakened the organisation still further. It fell to IRA volunteers still at liberty to attempt to reorganise the IRA and any IRA military action that could be mustered.
Bowyer Bell, in his history of the IRA, states that at the beginning of 1942 there were over 300 IRA volunteers in four companies constituting the Belfast unit. These men were led by the small group calling itself Northern Command. Compared to the IRA that remained active/available in population centres such as Dublin, the Northern Command was by far the strongest remaining hub of IRA volunteers left at liberty in Ireland. In attempting to organise the "Northern Campaign", the Northern Command enlisted the help of Patrick Dermody, CO. of IRA Eastern Command, the CO. of IRA Western Command, Tommy Farrell
Tommy Farrell
Tommy Farrell was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 80 films between 1944 and 1979, according to the Internet Movie Database. Sometimes he is credited as Tommie Farrell or Tom Farrell.-Career:...
, and the remaining productive elements of IRA Dublin centre including Charlie Kerins
Charlie Kerins
Charlie Kerins was a prominent Irish Republican, who following his killing of policeman Dennis O'Brien, was named the Chief of Staff of the IRA...
and Mick Quill.
IRA arms caches did still exist. They were largely scattered throughout inaccessible, rural areas of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and usually only known to only one or two volunteers from the surrounding area. Many IRA units in rural areas had received little attention from the General Headquarters of the IRA, (GHQ), in sometime and they had also not seen active duty in over a decade. After election in April 1942, the new IRA Army Council began to make attempts to reach out to them and to gather up the arms they watched over.
The basic plan of the IRA Army Council, as explained by Bowyer Bell, was to:
"collect the contents of the Twenty-six County [Éire] dumps, move the stuff close to the border [with Northern Ireland], and then just before operations were initiated, smuggle it over".
By August this movement of arms had taken place, Tommy Farrell and Patrick Dermody reported that combined, they had accumulated a total of over twelve tons of arms, munitions, and explosives, without alerting the authorities in Éire or Northern Ireland.
The campaign plan envisioned that once the arms were assembled and smuggled into Northern Ireland they would be distributed to waiting IRA units described as:
..."commandoCommandoIn English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
-type units, forty or fifty men all told, striking up from the South across the border to open up operations.
This tactic, (the flying column
Flying column
A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ad hoc unit, formed during the course of operations....
), was still to be found in use 20 years later during the Border Campaign
Border Campaign (IRA)
The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland.Popularly referred to as the Border Campaign, it was also referred to as the...
when it was discovered in a captured copy of the IRA's training manual The Green Book
The Green Book (IRA training manual)
The IRA Green Book is a training and induction manual issued by the Irish Republican Army to new volunteers. It was used by the post-Irish Civil War Irish Republican Army and Cumann na mBan, , along with offspring groupings such as the Provisional IRA...
.
1942
Easter Rising commemoration weekend April - the IRA had three clashes with their enemies in Northern Ireland and Éire. In Belfast the Northern Command authorised a "diversion" in the Belfast C company area by which the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUCRoyal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
) would be distracted enough to allow a large meeting of the Command to take place. The operation went wrong and in the ensuring gun battle at Cawnpore Street in Belfast, 1 RUC member was killed and the entire IRA unit of 6 men were captured. The captured unit included Joe Cahill
Joe Cahill
Joe Cahill was a prominent Irish republican and former chief of staff of the Provisional Irish Republican Army .- Background :In May 1920, Cahill was born in Divis Street in West Belfast, Ireland, where his parents had been neighbours of the Scottish-born Irish revolutionary James Connolly.Cahill...
. All 6 were put on trial for murder but 5 later had their sentences commuted to life, leaving Tom Williams
Tom Williams (republican)
Thomas Joseph Williams, more commonly known as Tom Williams, was a volunteer in C Company, 2nd Battalion of the Belfast Brigade in the Irish Republican Army from the Bombay Street area of Belfast, Northern Ireland...
facing the hangman.
- In Dublin, Irish Special Branch attempted to arrest Lasarian Mangan and Brendan BehanBrendan BehanBrendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.-Early life:...
. When Mangan seemed to hesitate in using his gun, Behan was heard to shout:
"Use it, use it. Give it to me and I will shoot the bastards."
Behan was later arrested in Dublin and received fourteen years in prison.
The third incident in the time line involved Frank Morris, who began shooting when detained at a RUC border checkpoint in Strabane
Strabane
Strabane , historically spelt Straban,is a town in west County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It contains the headquarters of Strabane District Council....
. He was captured 10 hours later that day, found hiding, immersed up to his neck in river water.
- 20 April - A new IRA Army Council was elected in the wake of these incidents. At this time it is known that Eoin McNameeEoin McNameeEoin McNamee is an Irish writer.He has written two novellas, The Last of Deeds and Love in History , which was shortlisted for the 1989 Irish Times/Aer Lingus Award for Irish Literature; and the novels, Resurrection Man , which detailed the bloodletting of the UVF gang the Shankill Butchers ;...
in his capacity as Adjutant General met with German agent Günther SchützGünther SchützGünther Schütz was a German citizen who performed a mission for German Intelligence in World War II, as part of Britain's Double Cross System.-Early life:Schütz was born on 17 April 1912 in the Silesian town of Schweidnitz...
shortly before this.
- 19 July - Hugh McAteer is confirmed by the IRA Army Council as new CS. with KerinsKerinsKerins may refer to:* Alan Kerins , hurler* Charles Kerins , artist* Charlie Kerins , Chief of Staff of the IRA* John Kerins , baseballer...
as the new Deputy CS. With McAteer already presiding as CO. of Northern Command, his newest appointment further increased his power within the organisation. It marked a shift of Executive power within what remained of the IRA, from Dublin to Belfast.
- 15 August - IRA Army Council meets to confirm the details of the Northern Campaign and to draw up a Campaign Proclamation. By this stage the arms and munitions from the IRA's Western and Eastern Command areas had been assembled on the border ready for transport into Northern Ireland.
- 30 August - IRA GHQ sends word to waiting units to begin the transfer of arms into Northern Ireland. That night three tons of material were transported over the border into NewryNewryNewry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, County Down. Two lorries were used to transport the material through RUC checkpoints without incident. The arms were then stored in a barn attached to McCafferty's farm outside Hannahstown, County Antrim. The volunteer overseeing the operation on the ground, Jerry O'Callaghan, reported back to GHQ Belfast in person. His message was that the operation had been successful, and distribution of the material could now begin. Unfortunately for the IRA, a volunteer sent to help O'Callaghan, was followed to the farm by members of the RUC who proceeded to raid the building. In the ensuing gun battle O'Callaghan was shot dead and 3 tons of arms seized. This however, was not the only shipment of arms into Northern Ireland the IRA had made, and the others were to remain, as yet, undetected.
- 1 September - The Army Council issued a General Army Order that in the event of the execution of Tommy Williams, all CO's were to take aggressive action.
- 2 September - Tom WilliamsTom Williams (republican)Thomas Joseph Williams, more commonly known as Tom Williams, was a volunteer in C Company, 2nd Battalion of the Belfast Brigade in the Irish Republican Army from the Bombay Street area of Belfast, Northern Ireland...
' execution that morning, a first attack of the campaign was scheduled to take place against a British Army barracks in CrossmaglenCrossmaglenCrossmaglen or Crosmaglen is a village and townland in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,459 people in the 2001 Census and is the largest village in south Armagh...
, County ArmaghCounty Armagh-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. Twenty IRA volunteers were led by Patrick Demody in a commandeered lorry and accompanying car. According to IRA member Harry WhiteHarry WhiteHarry White may refer to:*Harry Dexter White , economist and U.S. Treasury official*Harry White , Australian Jockey*Harry White , US Congressman from Pennsylvania*Harry White...
, who wrote about the raid in his book of memoirs "Harry", they hoped to capture a British officer and hang him - as the IrgunIrgunThe Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
was to do in similar circumstances in PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, a few years later.
A passing RUC patrol, however, noticed the IRA convoy as it moved through Cullaville
Cullaville
Cullaville or Culloville is a small village and townland near Crossmaglen in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the southernmost settlement in the county and one of the southernmost in Northern Ireland, straddling the Irish border. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 400 people...
, Co. Armagh. In the ensuing gun battle, one IRA man was injured along with one RUC member. Conflicting accounts exist of the outcome. It was claimed that the IRA unit surrendered and was released, all survivors being allowed to return to Dublin; however, the aforementioned White claims that it was the RUC men (there were only two of them) who surrendered to the IRA and were later released. In any case, the element of surprise was lost and the intention to attack the barracks was abandoned.
The raid caused alarm for the authorities in Éire, who up until then had believed the IRA was crushed south of the border and incapable of preparing or launching attacks of this scale. Volunteers Liam Cotter and Jerry Mahoney, both from Listowel, Co. Kerry were arrested by Irish police.
There was no declaration of war as for the S-Plan
S-Plan
The S-Plan or Sabotage Campaign or England Campaign was a campaign of bombing and sabotage against the civil, economic, and military infrastructure of the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1940, conducted by members of the Irish Republican Army . It was conceived by Seamus O'Donovan in 1938 at the...
Campaign. The IRA was much more muted when they issued a "special manifesto". The contents of this manifesto were reported in "The Times" as:
"The present moment is opportune to declare the attitude of the IRA to the present world situation. The IRA cannot recognize the right of England or and other Power to maintain her forces in or base them on any part of the Irish territory without the free consent of the Irish people. The IRA therefore reserves the right to use whatever measures present themselves to clear this territory of such forces."
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
goes on to say that the manifesto indicated the IRA's intention to, "avail themselves of the darkest moment in England's history to strike", and continues:
"It will be undoubtedly part of Britain's tactics to provoke conflict between American troops and Irish guerrilla forces. If in the event of a resumption of hostilities between Great Britain and the Irish Republic the American troops are drawn into conflict with Irish soldiers, the responsibility must rest with those who presumed to use north-east Ireland as a military base without the free consent of the Irish people."
- 3 September - The front of a police barracks in Randalstown, Co. Antrim, was demolished by a mine and a RUC sergeant was injured.
- 4 September - The ambush of an IRA patrol in Belfast resulted in James Bannon being wounded. The same day a mine failed to detonated during the attack on BelleekBelleek, County FermanaghBelleek is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. While the greater part of the village lies within County Fermanagh, part of it crosses the border into County Donegal, a part of Ulster that lies in the Republic of Ireland. This makes Belleek the western-most village in the United Kingdom...
, RUC barracks, Co. Fermanagh.
- 5 September - Two RUC were killed in CladyClady, County TyroneClady is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, about 4 miles from Strabane, on the River Finn and the border with County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 423 people. In 1842 the population was 176...
, County Tyrone. While a failed attack in Belfast saw Gerry Adams Sr.Gerry Adams Sr.Gerry Adams Sr. was a Belfast Irish Republican Army volunteer who took part in its Northern Campaign in the 1940s....
wounded by the RUC.
- 9 September - Sergeant Dennis O'BrienDennis O'Brien (policeman)Dennis O'Brien , often called "Dinny O’Brien", was a veteran of the Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War...
, a serving Irish Special Branch officer and himself a former IRA member, was shot dead by 3 IRA volunteers outside his home in BallybodenBallybodenBallyboden is a locality within the suburb of Rathfarnham in South Dublin, at the foot of the Dublin mountains between Whitechurch, Ballyroan and Knocklyon....
, RathfarnhamRathfarnhamRathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
, County Dublin. This action was directly against IRA Army Council orders which forbade any operations of a military nature in Éire. Notice of a five thousand pound reward was issued for information leading to the apprehension of O'Brien's killers along with a list of men wanted in connection with the incident. Michael Quill was later apprehended by the RUC and turned over to Irish Special Branch in connection with the incident. This led to his internment in January 1943.
Following the initial raid in September, the RUC and Irish Special Branch stepped up their efforts against the IRA. A series of arms finds and arrests were made.
- 10 September - Belfast IRA lost two volunteers when they were surrounded in a house and captured.
- 30 September - Patrick Dermody was killed by Irish Special Branch following a gun battle in County CavanCavanCavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland...
. A member of Garda SíochánaGarda Síochána, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
(Irish Police) also died due to friendly fire from his colleagues.
- 12 October - McAteer and his Director of Intelligence, O'Reilly, were arrested in Northern Ireland by the RUC Criminal Investigation DepartmentCriminal Investigation DepartmentThe Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
(CID). McAteer was later sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for treason. His position of responsibility within the IRA as OC. Northern Command was immediately assumed by Kerins, who was later relieved by Harry WhiteHarry WhiteHarry White may refer to:*Harry Dexter White , economist and U.S. Treasury official*Harry White , Australian Jockey*Harry White , US Congressman from Pennsylvania*Harry White...
in late October.
- 19 October - Maurice O'Neill, was captured by Garda Síochána during a raid on a safe house in Holly Road, DonnycarneyDonnycarneyDonnycarney or Donnycarny is a Northside suburb in the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is bordered by Beaumont, Artane, Killester and Marino, and lies in the postal districts of Dublin 9 and 5....
, County Dublin. A detective died during the raid. Harry White escaped and traveled to Belfast to take over as OC for Northern Command. During his trial by Military TribunalMilitary tribunalA military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
in Éire, O'Neill was represented by Seán MacBrideSeán MacBrideSeán MacBride was an Irish government minister and prominent international politician as well as a Chief of Staff of the IRA....
. MacBride failed however, to win O'Neill a reprieve and he was executed by the Irish Government on 12 November 1942.
- October - An RUC member was killed in an IRA attack on Donegall Pass, RUC station in Belfast.
Despite increased pressure on the IRA, Bowyer-Bell reports a total of 60 armed attacks by the IRA in the 3 months up to December 1942. He estimates that these attacks would've been carried out by the remaining fifty to sixty IRA volunteers that still remained at large in Northern Ireland. Units in South Londonderry, and South Armagh that previously could be relied on to engage in operations were no longer able to function as IRA GHQ required. IRA GHQ also began to lose contact with units in Counties Cavan and Monaghan
Monaghan
Monaghan is the county town of County Monaghan in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 7,811 . The town is located on the main road, the N2 road, from Dublin north to both Derry and Letterkenny.-Toponym:...
and within the Western Command area. Bowyer-Bell states of the late-1943 to mid-1943 period:
"The local C/Os had no intention of risking arrest to keep up a good front. Even the relatively innocuous Republican "political" activity that had been tolerated in the past now might lead to the Curragh. Parades ended. Training ended. Often even meetings of the IRA people ended. The intricate and long-lived infrastructure of the IRA in the country began to fray and break. The leaders and the best men were in prison."
1943
- 15 January - along with Patrick Donnelly, Ned Maguire and Jimmy Steele, Hugh McAteer escaped over the wall of Crumlin Road Prison, Belfast.
- 14 February - IRA Army Council meets to assess the progress of the organisation despite it being clear that the IRA had lost the means and most importantly the will to conduct further operations under the auspices of the "Northern Campaign". The order forbidding all operations of a military nature in Éire was continued and although no order to abandon the Northern Campaign was made, the Army Council did make 1 important resolution which was to resurface within the strategy of the IRA after World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended. The resolution called for:
"A political arm be formed representative of the whole country, whose constitution shall be based on the Constitution of the Republic proclaimed in arms in 1916 and ratified by the free vote of the Irish people in 1918."
This indicated a growing realisation within the then IRA Army Council that the failure of campaigns like the 1939 - 1940 S-Plan, and the ongoing "Northern Campaign" could not be sustained without political support from the IRA's base- the people. This view was to fully mature within the IRA during the period 1948 - 1950.
- 21 March - 21 IRA prisoners escape from Magilligan prisonMagilligan (HM Prison)Magilligan Prison is a prison run by the Northern Ireland Prison Service situated near Limavady, County Londonderry. It was first opened in May 1972 and comprised eight Nissen huts on the site of an army camp...
in Londonderry. Jim Toner from Tyrone and his adjutant Joe Carant were put in charge of moving the escapees out of Northern Ireland. Notice of a 3000 pounds (sterling) reward was issued for information on the whereabouts of the escapees.
- 24 April 1943- McAteer was personally involved when the IRA took over the Broadway cinema, Falls Road, Belfast, (a strongly republican area), as part of their Easter Rising commemorations. A Proclamation of the 1916 Easter Rising was read out to the audience along with the IRA Army Council's annual statement. The statement denounced the American military presence in Northern Ireland as an:
"..invasion of our rights..."
and warned that US troops could expect to be targeted in any,
"..resumption of hostilities between the Irish Republic [as invested in the IRA] and Great Britain."
The statement hints at a "lack" of hostilities between the IRA and British Forces at the time. In fact, the IRA had declared war on Britain in 1939 via the S-Plan Campaign, only to see it peter out after 15 months. Then the IRA decided on the "Northern Campaign" in 1942. Both campaigns appear to have ground to a halt by the time this statement was issued. However, no declaration of ceasefire or the campaigns ending had yet been made. From this it could appear that the IRA Army Council was not able to accept the reality of the situation- the total collapse of the IRA throughout the island, and the utter failure of both campaigns. The statement continued in optimistic manner:
"Ireland is being held within the Empire by sheer force and by force alone can she free herself. Now with Britain engaged in a struggle for her very existence, we are presented with a glorious opportunity."
- May - IRA GHQ members who had escaped from Magilligan Prison were re-arrested. Jimmy Steele, then Burke.
- October - McAteer arrested again. Kerins assumed command again.
- 4 July - Jackie Griffith shot dead in Dublin by Garda Síochána detectives.
- unknown date - RUC constable shot dead during an attempted robbery at Ross's Mill, Clonard. Belfast.
1944
- 11 February - Seamus "Rocky" Burns was mortally wounded during a gun battle with RUC in Derry city.
- 15 June - Kerins was arrested at 50 Rathmines Road in Dublin. He was tried by Military Tribunal in Éire and found guilty on 9 October 1944 of involvement in the death of Detective O'Brien on 9 September 1942. Kerins was hanged on 1 December 1944.
1945
- 1 March - The last elected IRA Army Executive had been the one chosen by the 1938 Army Convention at the time of Seán RussellSeán RussellSeán Russell was an Irish republican who held senior positions in the IRA until the end of the Irish War of Independence...
's takeover in 1938. In 1945, only five men from this Executive remained alive, (listed below with the area they represented in brackets);
- Ned Carrington (Clonmel & Tipperary),
- Ted Moore (Mooncin & Kilkenny),
- Charlie Dolan (Sligo),
- Larry GroganLarry GroganLarry Grogan was an Irish republican activist.Born in Drogheda, Grogan joined the Irish Volunteers at the age of 18, which subsequently became part of the original Irish Republican Army . He was active in the Irish War of Independence, then in the Irish Civil War in the anti-treaty IRA...
(Drogheda) and, - Peadar O'Flaherty.
- This body now moved in an attempt to resurrect the IRA. The new Army Executive appointed an Army Council, which included:
- Michael Conway,
- Charlie McGuinness,
- Seán Ashe, and
- Mick McCarthy.
- The new council appointed Patrick Fleming, (more commonly called 'Paddy'), as Chief of Staff.
- 10 March - Paddy Fleming orders a ceasefire with Britain, ending the S-Plan campaign and terminating the IRA's 1939 declaration of war. No mention was made of the episode dubbed the "Northern Campaign."
Significance of the IRA's activities in the period
The events labeled the Northern Campaign 1942-1944 can only be called a 'campaign' within the context of a republican interpretation of the IRA's activities. The statements emanating from the IRA Army Council during the period seek to portray the IRA as protector of the Irish Republic from 1922 onwards. In the mind of IRA volunteers, the Irish RepublicIrish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
was yet to be established. The IRA would use this reasoning to justify future efforts to destabilise and launch attacks within the United Kingdom.
Additionally, the IRA was seen by many of the base community as operating in league with the Axis (see below). This was seen by the nationalists in Ulster as abetting the enemy who bombed Ireland. I the republic, this was seen as a violation of Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
's rigorous adherence neutrality.
With the death of Kerins in June 1944, the IRA no longer had a Chief of Staff, there was no longer a GHQ, or even an IRA Army Council, there wasn't even a band of men to lead and call the IRA. Internment by the Government of Éire had almost wiped out the organisation both as an effective fighting force, and as an organisation willing & able to fight. The IRA was to come to see this as a bitter betrayal by their fellow countrymen.
The Irish Minister of Justice, Gerald Boland
Gerald Boland
Gerald Boland was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A founder-member of the party, he served in a number of Cabinet positions, most notably as the country's longest-serving Minister for Justice.-Early life:...
, was heard to boast during the period that,
"the IRA was dead and he had killed it"
Naturally the IRA had assisted in its own near extinction- as late as 1947, twenty-five IRA "lifers", (prisoners serving life sentences), remained in British prisons. Until 1950, twelve IRA volunteers remained in Crumlin Road Prison, Belfast, serving sentences for IRA involvement, and it wasn't until the change of Government in Éire in 1948 that the last IRA internee's were released from Portlaoise Prison
Portlaoise Prison
Portlaoise Prison is the Republic of Ireland's only high security prison. It is located in Portlaoise, County Laois. It should not be confused with the Midlands Prison, which is a newer, medium security prison situated directly beside it....
.
Under this climate of fierce scrutiny by the authorities, and without increases in IRA recruitment to offset losses, the series of attacks labeled the Northern Campaign died in the winter of 1942 within 3 months of it beginning. The first attack, a failure even before reaching the objective, had not been followed up with anything substantive or spectacular. IRA units along the border who were meant to wage a series of sporadic attacks against border targets found they could no longer operate. The IRA Army Council, lacking imagination and room for manoeuvre, found itself isolated from its base community and volunteers. The IRA was entirely crippled.
IRA involvement with Nazi Intelligence
The minutes of the IRA Army Council's meeting on 20 April 1942 made it clear that they were convinced the Government of Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
would be prepared to install the IRA into Government should the Nazis win the war. This Army Council, nearly composed entirely of IRA Northern Command, seemed unaware to the full extent of IRA contact with the German Government via Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
and Foreign Ministry agents since before 1938. A resolution captured in the minutes states the objective:
"That as a prelude to any co-operation between Óglaigh Na hÉireann [the IRA] and the German Government, the German government explicitly declare its intention of recognizing the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic as the Government of Ireland in all post-war negotiations affecting Ireland."
The minutes go on to say that GHQ assumes the authority:
"..to give military information to powers at war with England, which would not endanger civilian lives, even before any definite contacts have been established with these powers."
Despite the rhetoric, the IRA during the period, while capable of keeping links with Nazi Intelligence alive was incapable of doing much about any plans they or the German government may have wished them to undertake. The Abwehr and Foreign Ministry had appeared to realise the same fact by late 1943.
When the Allies found out the extent of the IRA's involvement of with the Nazis through review of German records, this led to a loss of credibility that was only overcome at the start of the "Troubles" in 1969. It also put de Valera under suspicion in the American and Canadian public's minds when his message of condolence to the German Minister upon Hitler's death in 1945 was made public. It helped delay a lot of investment in Ireland from the Irish-American and Irish-Canadian communities well until the 1970s.
Sources/Further Information
The Secret Army - The IRA J Bowyer Bell 1997 3rd Edition, ISBN 1-85371-813-0External links
- Short biography of Brendan Behan and details on who he was interned with at Mountjoy includes the hunger strikers and executed.
- No.1 Internment camp "K-Lines" in the Curragh housed IRA