Irish Republican Army - Army Council | |
 A Provisional IRA badge, with thephoenix symbolising the group's origins. | |
| Predecessor | Army Council (1922–1969) |
|---|---|
| Formation | December 1969 Current status: On ceasefire (see more) |
| Purpose | General staff |
| Origins | IRA split |
| Seán Mac Stíofáin(first) | |
Main organ | Provisional IRA |
TheIRA Army Council was the decision-making body of theProvisional Irish Republican Army, aparamilitary group dedicated to bringing about independence to the whole island of Ireland and the end of theUnion betweenNorthern Ireland andGreat Britain. The Council had seven members, said by theBritish andIrish governments to have includedGerry Adams, the former president ofSinn Féin. TheIndependent Monitoring Commission declared in 2008 that the council was "no longer operational or functional,"[1] but that it had not dissolved.[2]
The Army Council of theIRA split in December 1969 and a "Provisional" Army Council emerged as the head of the newly formed Provisional Irish Republican Army.[3]
The IRA was aproscribed organization under the terms of theOffences Against the State Acts passed between 1939 and 1998 in theRepublic of Ireland and under equivalent anti-terrorist legislation in theUnited Kingdom, making membership of it a criminal offence. In the Republic, trials for membership take place in the Special Criminal Court (where three judges hear cases without a jury, on the evidence of aGarda superintendent or higher rank) and carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.
Senior members ofSinn Féin have been alleged to sit on the Army Council. On 20 February 2005 during a radio interview, Irish Justice MinisterMichael McDowell publicly namedMartin Ferris, Gerry Adams, andMartin McGuinness, Sinn Féin's chief negotiator, as members of the Army Council.[4] The three men issued a statement the next day denying the charge.[5]
On 27 July 2005, McDowell expressed his belief that Adams, McGuinness, and Ferris had recently (within the previous few days) left the IRA Army Council.[6] However he also claimed that it was his opinion that this by itself did not necessarily amount to a permanent split between the two organisations.
On 20 October 2015, theAssessment on Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations reported that the structures of the IRA remain in existence "in a much reduced form", including "a senior leadership, the 'Provisional Army Council' and some 'departments'", but that they are not recruiting members. It concluded that the IRA still has access to some weapons, but have not sought to procure more since at least 2011. It also said that IRA members believe the Army Council oversees both the IRA and Sinn Féin.[7]
In May 2005,The Sunday Times reported that the following changes were made to the IRA Army Council:[8]
The Sunday Times reported in July 2005 that security sources believed that the current Army Council consisted of:[9]
In December 1969 the IRA's Army Council voted 39 - 12 to givede facto recognition to Westminster and the two Irish parliaments (the Dáil and Stormont), whereupon the minority withdrew and set up a 'Provisional' Army Council.