Top Issue 1-2024

1 February 2007 Edition

Resize: A A A Print

The Resistance Campaign 50 years on

IRA campaign leads to fall of Inter-Party Government

MÍCHEÁL MacDONNCHA continues his series on the IRA’s 1956-’62 Campaign from the pages of The United Irishman.

 

The IRA’s Resistance Campaign led indirectly to the fall of the Fine Gael/Labour Inter-Party Government of John A. Costello in February 1957. That Government was supported from the Dáil back benches by the three TDs of Clann na Poblachta led by Seán MacBride but they withdrew support in the wake of the Government’s crackdown on the IRA campaign and its failed response to record unemployment and emigration.

In 1954 Clann na Poblachta had made Fine Gael support for the election to the Seanad of Liam Kelly of Saor Uladh, a Six-County-based republican group, conditional on their votes for the new government. Three years later Clann na Poblachta pulled out, precipitating a General Election.

The United Irishman reported that Sinn Féin had decided to contest the General Election on an abstentionist basis in up to 20 constituencies. Election conventions were scheduled for early February. Sinn Féin’s election manifesto said the party’s objectives were “to break the connection with England; to end the entire British Imperial system in Ireland; to end poverty and insecurity; to abolish the existing partition institutions of government in Ireland and to replace them by a National Government having complete and effective jurisdiction over the entire territory of the Nation”.

IRA attacks were reported in Counties Tyrone and Derry. In Dungannon an IRA unit drove through the Market Square, entered the new Territorial Army barracks on Castle Hill, overpowered and disarmed the caretaker and planted two bombs which exploded minutes later. The building was almost completely destroyed. B-Special huts were destroyed at Upperlands and Straidarran, Co. Derry. The Derry city transformer station was damaged by an explosion and several bridges in Co. Tyrone were destroyed.

The Canadian Broadcasting Company interviewed a “resistance fighter from the occupied area” and The United  Irishman carried a transcript. The interviewee said he had taken part in the raids on Lisnaskea, Derrylin and Brookeborough. “At Lisnaskea we heard the inhabitants shout between machine-gun fire ‘Give it to them, lads’, sufficient evidence to us on the column that we had the support of ordinary people,” stated the Volunteer.

The United Irishman highlighted contradictions in Unionist propaganda. On the one hand Unionist Prime Minister Basil Brooke had accused the IRA of being in league with Soviet Communism while Unionist MP Norman Porter said this was “rot” and that “they are simply Roman Catholics wishing to establish by force an All-Catholic Republic”. Equally contradictory were politicians in the 26 Counties who lauded Hungarians resisting Russian occupation but turned their backs on nationalists in the Six Counties. The paper pointed out that in Hungary six months was the maximum period of internment without trial whereas in the Ireland there was no maximum period of internment.

Leonard Magill, 22, of Lurgan, County Armagh was sentenced on 28 January to 18 months imprisonment for membership of an illegal organisation and refusing to divulge names of his associates. In court he wished his comrades the strength to “carry on the work until the last vestige of British imperialism has been banished from Ireland”.

Bhí leathanach iomlán i nGaeilge san eagrán seo le litir a scríobh Seán Sabhat chun oifigeach in Óglaigh na hÉireann maidir lena dtuairimí ar staid na tíre. Tá an óráid ann a thug Diarmuid Ó Donnchadha cois uaigh Sheáin agus an dán le Criostóir Ó Floinn ina bhfuil na línte cáiliúla:

Cad tá romham le cloisint

Le linn comhrá an tae

Nuair a chasfad murlán an radio?

Beidh na glóir ar an seanfhoinn

Na polaiteoirí ag plé

Le seo siúd agus sin:

An saol mar a bhí

Gan ach leathchluas orainn

Do ráiméis úr an lae.

Bíodh san mar a bheidh:

Cuimhníodh cine Ghael

Go ndúirt an glór san linn

Maraíodh Seán Sabhat aréir

 

 

 


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland