“Dissident” Irish Republicans

Abstract

“Dissident” Irish Republican is a generic term used to describe activists who disagree with the political and military direction taken by the two lead organizations of the Irish Republican Movement, that is “Provisional” Sinn Féin and the “Provisional” IRA – the Provisionals. “Dissidents” reject the term and argue that it is the Provisionals who have dissented from traditional republicanism. During the Irish War of Independence era (1916–1923), Irish Republican Army (IRA) rebels complemented by Sinn Féin politicians and members of Cumann na mBan, a women's organization, established an all‐Ireland revolutionary parliament, Dáil Éireann. The British did not recognize this parliament and it was disestablished in 1922 when Dáil Éireann representatives ratified by a slim margin the Anglo‐Irish Treaty. The treaty confirmed the partition of Ireland and the creation of separate parliaments in Belfast for Northern Ireland, which remained a part of the United Kingdom, and Dublin for the quasi‐independent Irish Free State (later, the Republic of Ireland). A minority of activists remained committed to the all‐Ireland Dáil Éireann, rejected the Dublin and Belfast parliaments, and held fast to the claim that Irish people have the right to include armed struggle in their collective action repertoire as they pursue a reunited Irish Republic. And these activists maintained the IRA, Sinn Féin, and Cumann na mBan. A key reason the “Provisionals” split from the leadership of the republican movement in 1969/1970 was that the “Officials” endorsed taking seats in the Belfast, Dublin, and London parliaments.