Kevin McKenna | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1945-06-25)25 June 1945 nearAughnacloy,County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 25 June 2019(2019-06-25) (aged 74) |
| Allegiance | Provisional Irish Republican Army |
| Rank | Chief of Staff |
| Conflict | The Troubles |
Kevin McKenna (Irish:Caoimhín Mac Cionnaith; 25 June 1945 – 25 June 2019) was anIrish republican andvolunteer in theTyrone Brigade andChief of Staff of theProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).[1] McKenna, a guarded, reclusive figure, was the longest-servingchief of staff of the IRA, serving from 1983 to 1997.[2]
From Brantry, nearDungannon,County Tyrone, McKenna was born on 25 June 1945.[3] From the mid-1970s, he lived inSmithborough,County Monaghan.[4]
McKenna joined the IRA in the mid-1960s before he emigrated toCanada. After internment was introduced inNorthern Ireland, McKenna returned to Ireland and again became involved in IRA forming a newactive service unit (ASU) based in theEglish andAughnacloy areas. When McKenna returned from Canada, he had enough money to purchase a car, and this mobility, allied with the fact that he was single and committed, aided him in rising quickly through the ranks of his local IRA unit.[citation needed]
Following the departure of Brendan Hughes, no relation to the Belfast figure of the same name, McKenna became the commander of the Tyrone Brigade in 1972.[5]
In September 1983, Beano Lean, the adjutant of the Belfast Brigade, became the latest in a string of informers against the IRA. Although Lean later withdrew his statement, it did cause the then chief of staffIvor Bell to be briefly imprisoned. Under the rules ofThe Green Book, Bell automatically lost his rank and was replaced by McKenna, who at the time was seen as a strong supporter ofGerry Adams.[6]
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From early in McKenna's tenure as CoS, there were growing tensions between theArmy Council and more militant East Tyrone Brigade. There had been underlying tension between McKenna andPádraig McKearney since the 1983Maze escape and this was exacerbated when McKenna turned down a plan by McKearney andJim Lynagh to formflying columns. His credibility was undermined after the 1994 ceasefire and was subsequently replaced byThomas "Slab" Murphy.[7]