Volunteer (Irish republican)

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For other uses, see Volunteer (disambiguation).

Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol.[1], is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various IRAs (Irish Republican Army) and the INLA (Irish National Liberation Army). Óglach is the equivalent title used in the Irish language.

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[edit] History

The original use of the term Volunteer in this context dates back to the Irish Volunteers (18th century), a militia corps raised in 1778 to defend Ireland from foreign invasion and to press for more independence for Ireland from Britain. More directly, modern republican trace their descent back to the foundation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913. This was an Irish nationalist militia which hoped to secure Home Rule for Ireland. The Irish Volunteers were formed in opposition to the anti-Home Rule Ulster Volunteer Force. A faction within the Volunteers staged the Easter Rising in 1916 in pursuit on an independent Irish Republic. This group was to become the Irish Republican Army in 1919 and fought the Irish War of Independence from 1919-1921. The IRA of this era continued to refer to to its members as "Volunteers".

The Irish Volunteers' name in Irish was Óglaigh na hÉireann, literally translatable as "Warriors of Ireland".[2] The original IRA, and subsequent organisations of the name, all of which see themselves as inheritors of the original Irish Volunteers, continue to use Óglaigh na hÉireann as their Irish name.

The regular Irish Defence Forces also traces its descent back to the Irish Volunteers and the original IRA. Its Irish title is also Óglaigh na hÉireann. However, a new member is described as "recruit"[3] (Irish earcach[4]) or "cadet" (Irish dalta)[5] rather than a "volunteer" or óglach. The Irish Army uses Saighdiúr Singil ("single soldier") as Irish for the rank of Private.[6]

[edit] Definition

The term volunteer can be used to describe the entire membership of an Irish republican paramilitary organisation.[7], but can be used to describe a "rank and file" member, similar to that of a Private or a member that does not hold the role of an officer such as Chief of Staff or Quartermaster General.[8] Use of the term is quite elastic, not only in its application to describe either all members or specifically lower ranks, but also over whether the 'v' is capitalised or not.

Sometimes the term Volunteer is used specifically to refer to a low ranking IRA member. For instance, Joe Cahill stated in a press conference, after the introduction of internment in 1971, that the British forces had arrested two "officers" in the Provisional IRA, "the rest are volunteers, or as they say in the British Army, privates" [9].

However, in other cases, the term is used to refer to all IRA members. For example, Official IRA member Joe McCann, killed in 1972 was referred to in commemorations by his rank "Staff Captain" but also as a "Volunteer" [10].

Most modern IRA memorials refer to the dead only as "Volunteer", "Vol." or "Óglach" rather than giving a specific rank.[11][12]

[edit] Becoming a Volunteer

The Green Book (IRA training manual) defines the role of a new volunteer as follows:[13]

  • General Order number 1, "The duties of a Volunteer shall be at the discretion of a unit commander ... A Volunteer who for any reason, ceases to be maintain contact with his or her unit for a period of three months shall automatically cease to be a member of the army."
  • General Order Number 2:"Volunteers when making the Army Declaration promise; to obey all orders and regulations issued by the Army Authority and any superior officers. Where an order issued by a duly accredited officer has been disobeyed, the Volunteer in question must be suspended immediatly, pending investigation of the case."

[edit] In Loyalism

Loyalist paramilitary memorials also remember their dead as "Volunteers" [14]. Gusty Spence, founder of the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, described himself as a, "Volunteer of Ulster".[15]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ See for example Belfast brigade 25th Anniversary of H-Block Hunger Strike 1981 - 2006 from a Republican Sinn Féin website
  2. ^ Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977). Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla / Irish-English Dictionary. Dublin: An Gúm. ISBN 1857910389. “óglach: 1. (lit.) a young man (a) (young) warrior 2. Lit. Attendant, servant or vassal. 3. Mil: Volunteer; Óglaigh na hÉireann, the Irish Volunteers.” 
  3. ^ The Army Recruit. Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  4. ^ Earcach an Airm (Irish). Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11. (Irish-language version of the preceding page)
  5. ^ Defence Forces Cadetships. Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  6. ^ Óglaigh na hÉireann: An Struchtúr Céime. Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.(Irish) (Defence Forces ranks in Irish)
  7. ^ Bell, J. Bowyer. The Gun in Politics: An Analysis of Irish Political Conflict, 1916-1986. ISBN 088738126X. 
  8. ^ Moloney, Ed (2002). A Secret History of the IRA, p.571. 
  9. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1iwueLGHfM
  10. ^ South Belfast - Plaques. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  11. ^ West Belfast - Memorials. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  12. ^ West Belfast - Murals. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  13. ^ Dillon, Martin (1990). The Dirty War. Hutchinson, p.468. ISBN 0-09-984520-2,. 
  14. ^ East Belfast - Memorials. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  15. ^ Bishop, Patrick; Eamon Mallie (1987). The Provisional IRA. Heinemann, p.238. ISBN 0434074101. 


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