Republican Movement Split of 1969/1970

Republican Movement Split of 1969/1970
Part of The Troubles
Date 1969-1970 Location Ireland Result The formation of the abstentionist Provisional Irish Republican Army and Provisional Sinn Féin and the electoralist Official Irish Republican Army and Official Sinn Féin
Leading Figures
Electoralists/Officials Cathal Goulding (Chief of Staff of the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army) Tomás Mac Giolla (President of Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin) Roy Johnston (Anti-Treaty IRA Director of Education) Seán Garland (Anti-Treaty IRA leader)	Abstentionists/Provisionals Seán Mac Stiofáin (Anti-Treaty IRA leader) Dáithí Ó Conaill (Officer Commanding, Donegal Unit, Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army) Seamus Twomey (Anti-Treaty IRA leader) Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (former Chief of Staff of the Anti-Treaty IRA)

The Republican Movement Split of 1969/1970 was a political conflict within the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army and Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin over several issues, most notably the issue of abstentionism and whether or not Sinn Féin would adopt an electoralist path.

The conflict resulted in the creation of two factions within the Irish Republican movement: The Provisional Irish Republican Army and its political wing Provisional Sinn Féin, and the Official Irish Republican Army and its political wing Official Sinn Féin (later the Workers' Party).

The Split

Leftward Shift and Move Towards Electoralism

Cathal Goulding, a devoted Marxist-Leninist and Irish Republican veteran, became the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army Chief of Staff in 1962. The same year Socialist Republican Tomás Mac Giolla became president of the Anti-Treaty IRA political wing, Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin. These and other figures led the leftward shift of the Republican movement, which was, with some notable exceptions, generally well regarded in the party. At the 1965 IRA convention however a controversial proposal was made by the grouping, which by that point made up the leadership of the Republican movement. It was proposed that Sinn Féin drop its policy of abstentionism, originally only in the collaborator Republic of Ireland Parliament, but later in the Stormont (Northern Irish) Parliament and the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Goulding also began to turn away from the armed struggle around this time, advocating for gradual economic and social reform in the six counties and attempts at unification of the Protestant and Catholic Northern Irish Proletariat. This approach would prove to be impossible after the violent Protestant reaction to the Catholic Civil Rights Movement in 1969 and the near total refusal of cooperation by Protestant labor unions.

There was also growing dissatisfaction at the Dublin based leadership of the IRA, which many in the North viewed as not being adequate in its defense of the Northern Irish Catholics.

There was also tension in the broader Republican movement, with Republican women's group Cumann na mBan breaking from the IRA due to their opposition to the presence of the Trotskyist political party Saor Éire being present at the commemoration at the grave of Theobald Wolfe Tone.

These factors led to growing tension before the 1969 Irish Republican Army Convention and the 1970 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis.

Army Convention and Ard Fheis

The 1969 IRA Convention in December 1969 focused on two main issues. Cathal Goulding's faction within the IRA/Sinn Féin proposed two motions: that the IRA join with other left wing factions into a National Liberation Front, and that the Republican movement drop abstentionism.

The IRA leadership there passed both motions, leading to the forming of the Provisional Army Council by Republicans led by Seán Mac Stiofáin on December 28. In addition to Mac Stiofáin, the new Provisional Council included former Chief of Staff of the Anti-Treaty IRA Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Anti-Treaty Army Council member Leo Martin, fellow council member Dáithí Ó Conaill, former Republican political prisoner Joe Cahill and Republican figures Sean Tracey and Paddy Mulcahy. This faction was broadly supported among Republicans, including many who had left or been expelled from Sinn Féin in the previous years and many of those in the North.

The 1970 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis was held on 10 and 11 January. The motion would require a two-thirds majority, which the electoralist faction could not acquire. The electoralists then proposed a motion pledging support to the leadership of the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army, which would by default cause the motion to go into effect, as it was accepted by the remaining leadership there. This triggered a walkout, with about one third of the delegated leaving to meet at Kevin Barry Hall. There they reconvened, forming Provisional Sinn Féin.

The Provisionals became the dominant Republican grouping soon after, with Cumann na mBan and Fianna Éireann siding with them after the split.

Electoralist/Official Leaders

Cathal Goulding

See main article: Cathal Goulding

Tomas Mac Giolla

See main article: Tomas Mac Giolla

Roy Johnston

See main article: Roy Johnston

Seán Garland

See main article: Seán Garland

Seamus Costello

See main article: Seamus Costello

Michael "Mick" Ryan

See main article: Michael "Mick" Ryan

Abstentionist/Provisional Leaders

Sean Mac Stíofáin

See main article: Sean Mac Stíofáin

Dáithí Ó Conaill

See main article: Dáithí Ó Conaill

Seamus Twomey

See main article: Seamus Twomey

Ruairí Ó Brádaigh

See main article: Ruairí Ó Brádaigh

Charlie McGlade

See main article: Charlie McGlade

Eamon Mac Thomáis

See main article: Eamon Mac Thomáis