It was an allegation that was very familiar to my generation of Republicans:
“The Old IRA would never have done that”.
This usually baseless assertion was often in response to a successful operation in the Six Counties.
The person making the observation would almost always be from down the country, often in a county that had been a war zone only sixty years earlier.
In my own place, the narrative was that our fellas were somehow morally better than those bad Provos in the North.
West Mayo Flying Column good, South Armagh Brigade bad, Dublin Active Service Unit good, England Department bad.
This book brilliantly deals with that myth by outlining a catalogue of actual Tan War operations and examining the Partitionist mindset that created the “Good Old IRA” myth.
The actions of the GOIRA, like all of those in liberation struggles, were necessarily deadly and brutal.
Ambushes, close-range assassinations, intelligence operations, and the execution of informers were common denominators of both campaigns.
Often it was the acquisition of new weaponry that tweaked the tactics.
A century ago, the IRA mined rural roads here to kill British soldiers in transit.
Those Volunteers did not have access to plastic explosive or radio-controlled electric detonators.
But they wanted to do precisely what was achieved by the IRA at Narrow Water in 1979.
After the Carrowkennedy ambush in June 1921, the West Mayo Flying Column were the proud owners of a captured British Lewis Gun.
The rapid firing weapon was a game-changer in a firefight.
During the ambush column commander, Michael Kilroy had ordered his men to target the Lewis gunner. Two of the Brits attempting to operate it were shot dead.
However, I’m sure IRA in Mayo would have preferred an M60 if it had been invented at that point!
In both eras, the IRA assassinated enemy agents and executed informers.
For the avoidance of doubt, there isn’t a nice way of doing that.
In the opinion of many historians, the high point of Republican success in the Tan War was the elimination of British Intelligence Officers in Dublin in November 1920.
Of course, the IRA had similar success in the more recent conflict.
Lieutenant Peter Ashmun Ames and Captain Robert Laurence Nairac served the same Crown and died fighting the same army.
Both were shot in the head at close range by IRA Volunteers after being discovered to be enemy operatives.
Ames died in 1920 and Nairac in 1977.
That’s the only difference.
Get the idea?
The reality is that the army that my grandfather Joe was a part of conducted a brutal guerrilla campaign from 1919 to 1921.
They were taking on the world’s preeminent military power that ruled over hundreds of millions of people.
Being nice to the Brits wasn’t a realistic option for the “Good Old IRA”.
The myth of the gentlemanly Tan War was crucial for the Free State political elite to be able to carry out a process of “othering” Northern Nationalists once the conflict was underway.
It is this Orwellian narrative that Danny Morrison tackles with his usual forensic aplomb.
The first edition was published in pamphlet form in the 1980s.
I recall deploying it in counter revisionist discussions when it was first out!
Now the original author gives it the book-length treatment that it deserves.
When Republican Publications put out this riposte about the “Good Old IRA”, the conflict in the North was at a particularly vicious juncture.
This was the era of Section 31.
Although that has now passed into history, it left a lasting impact on journalists in the 26 Counties.
It is also a case study of how mainstream journalism can be brought into line to serve the needs of a political elite.
Here is my piece in An Phoblacht from 2014 on what I called the “Censorship Generation”.
The strongest chapter in the book is “Modern Free Statism”.
Morrison skewers the 26 County political elite for their hypocrisy and wilful historical illiteracy.
“It is the parallels that they really fear. What is the difference between Kevin Barry executed by the British in 1920 and Kevin Barry O’Donnell executed by the British in 1992?”
Clue, there isn’t any.
The following observation is even more jaw-dropping:
“In 2016, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s first foray into commemorating the Easter Rising as part of the Decade of Centenaries was quite telling. The Irish Government department produced a video which did not include any mention of the Rising or of the executed signatories of the Proclamation. It would be like talking about the Cuban Revolution and omitting the roles of Fidel Castro or Che Guevara.”
Full disclosure, I have known the author for more decades than either of us would freely admit.
Moreover, Danny sent me a section of the draft manuscript and sought my opinion on it.
This is a well-produced book, but it would benefit from an index at the back.
Anyone interested in Irish Republicanism will want to get this title.
The book is available in the usual outlets in Béal Feirste ( An Fhuiseog & Culturlann) and from the Sinn Féin Bookshop,58 Parnell Square, Dublin, Ireland Dublin 1.
For those of ye not in those places, it is available directly from the author (€17 or £15) with a particular dedication ( [email protected]).
Highly recommended.
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I find that with rebel songs the older songs boys of the old brigade , come out ye black and tans ect compared to newer songs such as the Sam Song or Say hello to the provos they are separated by what era is portrayed as ie the GOIRA or the PIRA Both fighting the same fight but with different weapons, tactics , technology and knowledge. So for me a rebel song is a rebel song regardless of era
Interesting one, Phil.
It seems to be the case that yesterday’s fighters are venerated while today’s are vilified.
Hence we had the ‘heroic’ GOIRA and the ‘terrorists’ of PIRA.
Danny draws comparisons between Kevin Barry (1920) and Kevin Barry O’Donnell (1992), and you and he conclude there is no distinction.
Others might then draw comparisons between the attacks on the Rheindahlen Barracks in 1987 and the Massereene Barracks in 2009 and ask where the distinction lies?
Why do those who seem to have supported the armed struggle from the late 60s to the late 90s, not now support those who want to continue that struggle?
Maybe we now have a GOIRA2?
The last time I looked, the Fleg still flutters over one of the four green fields which is still in bondage.
Again, it seems to be the case that yesterday’s fighters are venerated while today’s are vilified.
Or is it just more hypocrisy and wilful historical illiteracy?
Duncan Are you fucking serious, “as is always often the case it will be settled by rational people arguing rational points”, where the Brits are concerned ,really, predicated on what.
Okay lets look at these rational people, Scotland fought over for centuries , finally subjugated with the repeated failure of the Jacobite movement. Wales..there are over 400 Castles in Wales that’s one every 18 square miles…they weren’t built as holiday homes. Ireland… we will say it’s a given you know the history ,let’s not forget though , that they stood back , a mere 12 miles at the closest point and watched the famine unfold ,did nothing, while at the same time the best fare Ireland had to offer was exploited and sold on the street’s of London.
Then there’s the “Empire” what do you think the rational behind that was. America ,Canada ,Australia ,New Zealand , the Far East , Africa, India, Burma , Singapore, Aden, Kenya, and on and on .
Every country harvested of its resources, and it’s people enslaved.
America would have undoubtedly been freed from colonialism over a rubber of contract Bridge.
India would merely have had to instigated a discussion on freedom over tiffin to gain her independence.
The only rational ever employed by the brits is an economic one ,it was, is ,and always will be about the boodle, first and foremost. The fact that down the line there may well be a political price to be paid, that’s going to be someone else’s problem.
Their legacy in Ireland is the six counties and all that goes with it. It’s not their only one though,their historical detritus from their colonial past , still exacts a price in misery to this day in the shape of unviable borders, imposed treaties,economic migration leaving immigrants stateless & powerless.
Balfour’s declaration of Israel..leaving millions of Palestinians displaced.The ongoing hostility on the Afghan -Pakistan border , a direct result of the brit imposition of the Durand line. Their withdrawal from Cypress , a shambles resulting in conflict with Turkey.
The Rohingyas in present day Mayanmar , brought into then Burma by the brits as an economic workforce from Bengal ,this after the starvation of over 2 million Bengali’s (starvation was used a lot by the brits).
The existing dispute between the Phillipines and Malaysia ,based on the brit interpretation of a treaty, which included their trade agreements.
The McMahon Line again drawn up by the brits between China & India, including the usual economic benefits to them. The Iran/Iraq borders ,created again by british interest predicated on oil supply.
None of this was resolved by reasonable dialogue by reasonable people. The only dialogue was by the bstrds that sat round a table and formed the East India Company and other generations of that ilk. .
Imperialism and Colonialism based and maintained by military and economic might.
This is somewhat lengthy and wordy …apologies but in mitigation ,there was a lot to cover.
When Ireland is eventually united ,the factors involved will include those or something similar to what you stated, but it will be built on the military conflict as fought by the IRA ,and that’s a fact.
Thanks for the heads up, Phil, I’ve emailed Danny to see if it’s possible to to buy a copy. I live in Australia but it’ll go via Glasgow as my mum would love a read!
I truly believe that Brexit coupled with a constantly moving demographic in Northern Ireland will be a bigger catalyst for Unification than any actions carried out by the Boys of the Old Brigade or the IRA of the Troubles.
As is always often the case it will be settled by rational people arguing rational points and hopefully not another drop of innocent blood is shed whilst it happens.
For I’m sure we can all agree there was far too much of it shed throughout these past 800 years or so.
May God bless a United PEACEFUL Ireland.
🙏🏼
Ps .Those that have a tendency to glorify war or conflict are seldom to be found fighting in them.
I wouldn’t like any kind of return to the bloodshed seen over many many years but how would we have got to this point at all had it not been for those brave volunteers in the first place? I don’t disagree with your sentiment at all but we must always honour the deeds of those long gone and price they paid for our future.