Northern Command was a command division in theIrish Republican Army (1922–1969) andProvisional IRA, responsible for directing IRA operations in the northern part ofIreland.
The IRA had difficulty with cross-border communications betweenDublin andBelfast after the outbreak of theSecond World War, and some northern based members of the IRA believed a self-contained unit was required.[1][2]Charlie McGlade, a printer from Belfast, was the architect of the idea, and Northern Command was formed in 1939 taking responsibility for IRA operations in the six counties ofNorthern Ireland and alsoCounty Donegal, while Southern Command took responsibility for the other 25 counties ofIreland.[1] By the early 1950s, both Northern Command and Southern Command had faded away, and the leadership of the IRA was southern-based, with all commands being issued fromDublin.[3]
Charlie McGlade became the O/C of the Northern Command,Jimmy Steele became Adjutant, also appointed wasSeán McCaughey as Quartermaster. In 1940 McGlade stepped down as O/C of Northern Command and appointed McCaughey to the position.[4]
In the mid-1970s a new Northern Command was proposed byGerry Adams andIvor Bell, which would cover the six counties ofNorthern Ireland, and alsoCounty Louth,County Cavan,County Monaghan,County Leitrim andCounty Donegal. These counties were effectively the "war zone" where paramilitary operations were planned and carried out. The role of theIRA Southern Command, covering the remaining 21 counties, would be to provide logistical support for the campaign in the north. Veteran republicans such asJoe Cahill andBilly McKee opposed the idea fearing a split in the movement, but Chief of StaffSeamus Twomey backed the idea and a new Northern Command was formed in late 1976.[2]
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