IRA Southern Command was a command division in theIrish Republican Army (1922–1969) andProvisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), responsible for providing logistical support in the South (Irish Free State and later theRepublic of Ireland) forIRA Northern Command operations inNorthern Ireland. It was headquartered inDublin.
TheIRA 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 theIRA 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]
With the creation of the IRA Northern Command in 1976 during the height ofthe Troubles,[2] the Southern Command shifted its functions to logistical support in the 21 counties in the South, such asweapons procurement made in the Republic or overseas, training volunteers, financing, and safe houses for theProvisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). The IRA Northern Command encompassed not only the six counties in the North but also the border areas of the Republic of Ireland (Louth,Monaghan,Donegal,Leitrim, andCavan).[4]
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