TheIrish Volunteers were formed in 1913, in reaction to the formation of theUlster Volunteer Force earlier that year, to protect the interests ofIrish nationalists during theHome Rule Crisis.[3] The Volunteers took part in the 1916Easter Rising and—as theIrish Republican Army (IRA)—in theIrish War of Independence.[4] The title "Volunteer" or "Vol." was used for members of the Volunteers who were involved in the 1916 Rising,[5][6] and in the War of Independence. A number of witness statements given to theBureau of Military History make frequent use of "Volunteer" as a title for members of the Volunteers and IRA during that period.[7][8][9][10] The County Antrim Memorial inMilltown Cemetery in Belfast lists IRA members who died at various times between 1916 and the period of theTroubles in the late 20th century. "Volunteer" is used for those members who were not officers.[6][11]
The termvolunteer can refer to any member of an Irish republican paramilitary organisation,[12] to a "rank and file" member, similar to aprivate, or to a member that is not a senior officer such asChief of Staff orQuartermaster General.[13]Joe McCann, anOfficial IRA member killed in 1972, was referred to in commemorations as a "Staff Captain" but also as a "Volunteer".[14] On the other hand,Joe Cahill, the commander of theProvisional IRA Belfast Brigade in 1971, said in a press conference afterthe introduction of internment that year, that British forces had only succeeded in arresting two officers of theProvisional IRA. "The rest are volunteers, or as they say in theBritish Army, privates".[15] The 'v' in "volunteer" may or may not be capitalized.
Most modern IRA memorials refer to the dead only as "Volunteer", "Vol." or "Óglach" rather than giving a specific rank.[16][17]
