Disarming of the Provisional IRA

By Grace Lawrence

Throughout this section, Northern Ireland is undergoing a Peace Process with Britain. In fact, “the movement for a negotiated peace had grown steadily through the 1980s and early 1990s” (Poole & Thompson 2020). As stated in Keefe, “the Good Friday Agreement envisioned a “power sharing” arrangement. But there was a sense in which neither side had really emerged triumphant” (Keefe 229). Although there was some effort for peace between Northern Ireland and Britain, there was still a great deal of tension among them. During this time “The ‘Provos’ evolved…opting for political strategy as well as paramilitary action” by electing Bobby Sands to the British House of Commons (Poole & Thompson 2020). This sense of tension, while always present during the Troubles, was especially tested when “the Provisional Irish Republican Army stunned the world by announcing a conditional ceasefire” in 1994 (Poole & Thompson 2020). The tension arose from the fact that not many believed in the ceasefire or the fact that this would put an end to the violence. In a BBC article, it talks about how there was “scepticism from the loyalist community and celebration in the Catholic areas of Belfast and Londonderry” and when the Irish Prime Minister “called on loyalist paramilitaries to follow suit” they were “suspicious of the declaration and [feared] it may lead to a sell-out in which Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom [would be] under threat” (BBC “1994”). As a result of their suspicion, this first ceasefire only lasted two years, and ended due to “devastating bombings in London and Manchester” (Poole & Thompson 2020). The ceasefire was broken as “a response to rising sectarianism and Sinn Fein being excluded from peace negotiation until the IRA had disarmed” (Poole & Thompson 2020). Finally, in 1997, a new ceasefire was announced.

Suspicions such as these arise from a history of oppression and the struggles Catholics often faced when trying to arm themselves. In fact, the Penal Laws in 1695, under Section 1 of “An Act for the Better Securing the Government, by Disarming Paptists” forced Catholics to “deliver up…all their arms and ammunition.” The law also states that “Justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffs, and chief officers of cities and towns and persons under their warrants, may search and seize all arms and ammunition of papists, or in the hands of any persons in trust for them, wherever they shall suspect they may be concealed” (Penal Laws 1695). Not only did Catholics have no way to defend themselves or fight back, they also were allowed to be searched by anyone who felt a suspicion towards them. In addition to having their weapons taken away from them, Catholics also had their government representation taken away from them. Daniel O’Connell, a dominant figure in the reform movement and a part of the Catholic Association in the 1800s, “represented the Catholic middle class and the aristocracy who wanted the last vestiges of the Penal Code removed to allow them to take their place in parliament and to hold other prestigious positions in the government” (Melaugh 1981). This could have also played a role in the fact that the IRA was never truly interested in politics and rather used violence and weapons to make their mark. Because of this history, members of the IRA and paramilitary groups remained hesitant to giving up their weapons and in their view, their security and protection from British retaliation. 

Another one of the major problems with the Troubles and the peace process was the fact that the IRA viewed themselves as an army, while Britain viewed them as terrorists. Because of this conflict, the IRA was reluctant to give up their weapons, as can be seen from the statements above. In addition, “republicans have argued that the arms can only be dealt with as part of a solution that leads to “all the guns being removed from Irish politics” -giving equal weight to IRA weapons and the presence of the British military” (BBC “1994”). Essentially all the IRA wanted was to be taken seriously, which is a common theme throughout the Troubles. Essentially what was happening was politicians, such as Gerry Adams, decided separately that it was time to change course and legitimize the IRA in a political way. This was done via Sinn Fein, which was basically the IRA’s political party, and “with Sinn Fein now willing to negotiate” the Provos and the loyalist’s paramilitary groups followed along (Poole & Thompson 2020). The decommission of the IRA’s weapons was a long process that took many years to complete. At the beginning of Chapter 25 in Keefe’s novel Say Nothing, the reader can see that this process took place from the first ceasefire in 1994 until 2005. Keefe explains that “the process had unfolded in phases, and the precise technique that the IRA used to render its weaponry “beyond use” was a closely held secret, but it was said to involve sealing the weapons in concrete” (Keefe 280). During the collection of the final guns, Father Reid “was distracted by the presence of one Provo official who stood nearby, holding an AK-47…[and that] The man seemed very aware…that this was “the last gun”’ (280). Essentially what this section shows readers is how simply taking weapons away from the IRA proved to build tension during the ceasefire. 

References:

BBC ON THIS DAY | 31 | 1994: IRA declares ‘complete’ ceasefire. (1994, August 31). Retrieved November 17, 2020, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/31/newsid_3605000/3605348.stm 

Keefe, Patrick Radden. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. Doubleday, 2019, pp. 223-348.

McKevitt, G. (2014, August 31). IRA ceasefire anniversary: Northern Ireland then and now. Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28994692

Melaugh, Dr Martin. Issues: Politics: Sinn Fein (1981?) History of Republicanism – Republican Lecture Series No.5. 6 Feb. 2019, cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/sf/lecture/sf-lecture5.htm.

Poole, R., & Thompson, S. (2020, September 16). The 1994 ceasefire. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from https://alphahistory.com/northernireland/1994-ceasefire/