Resurgence, 1947-61.
the border campaign
By 1956 preparations and training were under way for the upcoming campaign. There is a hint at trouble, though, in the May issue of Glór Uladh, where there is an oblique criticism of Sinn Féin as being controlled by a ‘Dublin Group’. Given the overlap in the leadership of Sinn Féin and the I.R.A., this relatively open disapproval coincides with a number of other changes in the middle of 1956. Around August, G.H.Q. sent organisers to the north for the upcoming campaign. Jimmy Steele stood down as Belfast O/C and Paddy Doyle (one of the G.H.Q. organisers) took over, while Joe Cahill remained as Adjutant. Given the political success of Sinn Féin and the apparent decline of some northern units since around 1954, it is possible that this hints at northern disapproval of what was seen as a campaign directed from Dublin, presumably with less input than the north would have liked. According to Billy McKee, at the time, the Battalion was not in a position to handle a pogrom (the ever present fear if a campaign was to take place). Sinn Féin was also starting to get more organised in the city. The November issue of Glór Uladh, apparently still under Steele’s editorship, discussed Paddy McLogan’s Sinn Féin ardfheis address on providing a political alternative for republicans. In October, Doyle had been unable to travel to a senior staff planning meeting but Cahill went instead and raised the issue of a possible informer in Belfast.1 He told Anthony Magan (the Chief of Staff) but no further action was taken. This is generally taken as the point where problems arose with the role the Battalion might play in the upcoming campaign. The suspected presence of an informer, it is claimed, led to Belfast being left out of the campaign. A directive for the campaign, dated November 7th 1956, called for three phases.2 In phase one, to last one month, there was to be the destruction of listed targets. In phase two, over a three month period, the I.R.A. would build its forces and continue guerrilla attacks while maintaining itself (through captured arms, ammunition and supplies). Phase three of the campaign was to see a continuation of the struggle into higher levels where the I.R.A. would control territory and thus co-ordinate through better communications. There was also an outline of the I.R.A.’s aim: “Our mission is to maintain and strengthen our resistance centres throughout the occupied area and also to break down the enemy's administration in the occupied area until he is forced to withdraw his forces. Our method of doing this is use of guerrilla warfare within the occupied area and propaganda directed
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