Introduction; Part I. The Intelligence War, August 1969 to July 1972: 1. British political, military and intelligence strategy towards the IRA, August 1969 to July 1972; 2. The Intelligence War part I, August 1969 to July 1972; 3. The IRA's ceasefire, 26 June to 9 July 1972; Part II. On the Verge of Defeat?: the Intelligence War Part II, July 1972 to December 1975: 4. British political, military and intelligence strategy towards the IRA, July 1972 to December 1975; 5. The Intelligence War part II: July 1972 to December 1975; 6. 'Everything is compromisable after the British Declaration of Intent': the IRA returns to ceasefire, December 1974 and December 1975; Part III. The Struggle to Contain the IRA, January 1976 to April 1998: 7. British political, military and intelligence strategy towards the IRA, 1976 to 1998; 8. The Intelligence War part III: Belfast and Derry city, January 1976 to August 1994; 9. The Intelligence War part III: the IRA in rural areas, England and the IRA leadership, January 1976 to August 1994; 10. 'It's the primacy of politics that's important': alternative reasons for the IRA's ceasefires in August 1994 and July 1997; Conclusion; Appendix 1. IRA 'intended target' killings by year in various geographical areas where the IRA operated, 1969 to 1994; Appendix 2. Seats won by Sinn Féin and the SDLP in district council elections between 1985 and 1997; Appendix 3. Other alleged agents and informers killed by the IRA.
Thomas Leahy investigates whether informers, Special Forces and other British intelligence operations forced the IRA into peace in the 1990s.
Thomas Leahy is a Lecturer in British and Irish politics and contemporary history in the Politics and International Relations department at Cardiff University.
'An important and difficult subject, explored with skill and in
very impressive, well-researched detail.' Richard English, author
of Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA
'Informers and agents are central to insurgencies. They can be
devastatingly effective, yet inflict terrible suffering.
Meticulously dissecting the intelligence war in different regions,
Leahy's analysis of how informers and agents affected the strategic
interaction between republicanism and the British state is a major
contribution to scholarship on the Northern Ireland conflict.' Huw
Bennett, author of Fighting the Mau Mau: The British Army and
Counter-Insurgency in the Kenya Emergency
'Thomas Leahy's study of the Intelligence War in Northern Ireland
draws on rich new evidence from the archives to provide a
well-paced, thought-provoking and richly-textured account of the
impact of British Intelligence measures during the conflict. The
author makes a compelling case for analysing both military and
political intelligence together and offers a fresh new perspective
on why it took so long to bring an end to the violence through a
negotiated peace settlement.' Niall Ó Dochartaigh, author of From
Civil Rights to Armalites: Derry and the Birth of the Irish
Troubles
'… sheds new light on how British intelligence used agents,
informers, special-forces and surveillance in the city during the
recent conflict.' Kevin Mullan, Derry Journal
'… this is a well-informed, competent, accessible and engaging
assessment of the role of intelligence in the periods before the
IRA ceasefires. It will be useful for scholars not just of the
'Troubles' but of the role that terrorist groups and their
leadership, state political actors, the security forces and
intelligence can play in progress towards peace.' Samantha Newbery,
Intelligence and National Security
'… an easy read … this work should be recognised as a valuable
contribution to our understanding of the Northern Ireland conflict
and a timely disruption of a potentially dangerous consensus.'
Patrick Mulroe, History Ireland
'Thomas Leahy's The Intelligence War Against the IRA is an
important new contribution to the growing, and changing,
interpretations of The Troubles … a great addition to The Troubles
canon. It is a well-researched study with a diverse range of
secondary material, a wealth of archival evidence and interviews
with significant figures on all sides of the conflict.' Nick
Clifton, History@Kingston
'This well-researched and argued study will interest students of
Northern Ireland, political violence, and counterinsurgency.' A. H.
Plunkett, Choice
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