Artifact 3: Public Declaration by IRA Chief of Staff Cathal Goulding in August 1969

The above artifact is a statement made by Cathal Goulding, the Chief of Staff of the IRA in August 1969 directly before the Official/Provisional IRA split in December of that same year. Goulding pushed the IRA to the left over the course of his career and eventually joined the Official IRA in the same position as Chief of Staff due to their explicit commitment to Marxist principles as foundational tenets.

In the statement, Goulding argues that the IRA was required to move into Northern Ireland to defend Catholics who had been “terrorized by mobs backed by armed B-Specials.” The B-Specials, also known as the Ulster Special Constabulary, was a quasi-military police force formed in 1920. However, he also contends that the ultimate goal of republicanism is the “establishment of a socialist workers’ and farmers’ republic for the whole country” of Ireland (Goulding, 1969). Disagreements over that ultimate goal, as well as the policy of electoral abstentionism— or running in election without taking office— led to the split between the Official and Provisional IRA in December of 1969. Goulding was on the front line of these theoretical and strategical arguments, and remained a key figure in the Official IRA for the rest of the Troubles.