Ivor Bell

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Ivor Malachy Bell is an Irish Republican, and a former volunteer in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who later became Chief of Staff on the Army Council.[1]

Contents

[edit] IRA career

Bell was involved with the Irish Republican Army during the 1956-1962 campaign, but left over the decision to call a cease-fire. He rejoined the republican movement in 1970, and become the commander of the Kashmir Road based B Company of the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade.

During Gerry Adams' initial leadership of the republican movement he took much of his direction from Brendan Hughes and Bell. At this time Bell was Adams' adjutant in the Second Battalion of the Belfast Brigade and Hughes was the commander of the D Coy. Adams looked to Bell for political strategy and to Hughes for the opinion of the "rank and file" volunteers.[2]

In 1972, Bell, now Belfast Brigade adjutant, along with Seamus Twomey, Martin McGuinness, and Gerry Adams were flown to London by the Royal Air Force for secret ceasefire talks with British ministers.[3][4]

Adams and Bell were sceptical about the proposed cease-fire and they did not trust the British Government. The truce soon broke down, followed by twenty deaths over three days.

[edit] Escape from Long Kesh

In February 1974, Bell was arrested on on information provided by supergrass Eamon Molloy. He was placed in Cage 11 at Long Kesh along with Brendan Hughes and Gerry Adams. Fellow internees had nicknamed it the `General's Cage' because of the number of senior republicans held there.[5]

On 15 April 1974 Bell escaped when he swapped places with a visitor and walked out of the prison. He was recaptured two weeks later at a flat in the affluent Malone Road area of south Belfast after Molloy had informed the security services of his whereabouts.

[edit] Chief of Staff

In 1982, Martin McGuinness quit as Chief of Staff and Bell took over his position. Bell was arrested, on evidence provided by another supergrass, Robert “Beano” Lean, in 1983. In line with IRA rules, contained within the Green Book, Bell lost his position as Chief of Staff which was then held by Kevin McKenna from the Tyrone Brigade.[6]

Upon release Bell, and fellow prisoner Edward Carmichael, stated that they had both been offered immunity if they would incriminate Sinn Féin elected representatives Danny Morrison, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Carmichael had been offered £300,000 and Bell stated that was told he could "name my own figure".[7]

[edit] Libyan connection

On release from prison in 1983, Bell was appointed a place on the Army Council but did not regain his position as Chief of Staff and much of the power he previously held was eroded and Bell was informed that he should focus on his role with Libya.

Bell was the IRA's ambassador to Libya, during the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Libya and the IRA had a common enemy, namely the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher was heavily criticised in Libya for allowing American planes to take off from British air bases for raids on Libya in which more than seventy people were killed, including the Qaddafi's baby daughter, Hana, who died when the planes bombed the Qaddafi family home.[8]

In late 1984 and early 1985 the Libyan Intelligence Service moved to put in place a supply of arms to the IRA in order that they could more effectively fight the British Army, and Bell and Joe Cahill were instrumental in putting in place the Libyan arms smuggling plan.[9]

[edit] Court martial

In 1984, Bell and the Belfast Brigade openly opposed Adams’ proposal to increase spending on election campaigns instead of the war against Britain. Bell was a hard-line militarist who opposed the use of funds by Sinn Féin and resented moves to strengthen Gerry Adams' hold on the organisation and moves to end abstentionism. Bell emerged as the head of a group, which included senior figures like Danny McCann. In the end, a court martial held in his absence in June 1985 dismissed Bell from the IRA.[10][11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, p.318, 2002. (PB) ISBN 0-393-32502-4 (HB) ISBN 0-71-399665-X
  2. ^ Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, p.114, 2002. (PB) ISBN 0-393-32502-4 (HB) ISBN 0-71-399665-X
  3. ^ Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, p.114, 2002. (PB) ISBN 0-393-32502-4 (HB) ISBN 0-71-399665-X
  4. ^ Dominic Casciani (1 January 2003). Adams and IRA's secret Whitehall talks. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  5. ^ Jim Gibney, Long Kesh revisited An Phoblacht 16 August 2001
  6. ^ Ireland’s Own – Chronology of Events
  7. ^ IRIS Magazine, November 1983
  8. ^ Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, pp 14–15, 2002. (PB) ISBN 0-393-32502-4 (HB) ISBN 0-71-399665-X
  9. ^ Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, pp 14–15, 2002. (PB) ISBN 0-393-32502-4 (HB) ISBN 0-71-399665-X
  10. ^ David Sharrock, Hard-liners left 'crying into their beer The Daily Telegraph 24 October 2001
  11. ^ Brendan O'Brien, The Long War: The IRA & Sinn Féin, p.133, 1999. (PB) ISBN 0-86278-606-1