Nationalism and violence : the ideology of the Irish republican movement
Date
1985
Authors
Boyle, Martin Joseph
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Abstract
The Rising of 1916 set in motion a chain of events which was to culminate in the secession from the United Kingdom of twenty-six of Ireland's thirty-two counties. The Irish Republican Movement, both in its military and political manifestations, regards itself as the inheritor of the ideological legacy of the 1916 leadership. It considers the national revolution commenced in 1916 to have been betrayed and incomĀplete as six counties remain subject to British sovereignty. The ideological underpinnings of the Rising are thus considered by republiĀcans to remain valid and crucially important for the achievement of 'national liberation'.
This thesis suggests that the Republican Movement of today closely follows the doctrine laid down by James Connolly and, to a lesser extent, Padraig Pearse. By examining the doctrinal boundaries within which the movement chooses to opera t e, it is possible to illuminate a consistent rationale behind its practice. It is argued here that the movement has faithfully remained within the parameters set by its founding fathers even in the face of difficult or unforeseen political developments. By identifying a coherent belief system, and demonstrating its influence, the commonly levelled charge t ~at the movement is a nihilistic and purely militaristic organization is challenged.
After outlining the theoretical origins of the movement, the study examines three major developments in its history from 1969 to the present day. One of these is the split between what became known as the Official and Provisional wings of the movement. The second is the movement's reaction to the 'two nations' theory of nationality. The third is the policy commonly known as the 'Armalite and the ballot box'. The study attempts to assess the importance of tradition and early republican ideology in the movement's reaction to those developments.
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UN SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions