ABSTRACT
Insisting that it alone holds legitimate authority in Ireland, the IRA denounced successive Dublin governments and refused to accept any and all election outcomes. In the early 1960s, it began to move away from this position to reshape itself as a radical social movement. Having given the political priority over its paramilitary capacity it was unable in 1969 to carry out its reserve role of Catholic defence militia when communal violence resulted in mass population movements. The organisation subsequently split into two factions – Officials and Provisionals – each claiming the mantle of legitimacy. Militancy extending to extreme violence brought many former members back into Provisional ranks. Its activism enabled it to gain a much greater number of supporters and sympathisers in the Catholic working-class community. This process was accelerated by internment and other ill-conceived security measures. Lacking an effective political component, the organisation was unable to develop strategic aims.
