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Encyclopedia > Volunteer (Irish republican)

Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). Óglach is the equivalent title used in the Irish language.[1] Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Pronounced fee-na fall.) (English: Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... The IRA (Irish Republican Army) is a name used to describe several paramilitary movements in Ireland in the 20th and 21st centuries. ... The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed on December 8, 1974. ... Irish () is a Goidelic language spoken in Ireland. ...

Contents

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". Note The Irish Volunteers usually refers to an early twentieth century nationalist organisation in Ireland. ... Lexington Minuteman representing militia minuteman John Parker. ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Irish Volunteers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force was a unionist militia founded in 1912 to block Home Rule for Ireland. ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article is about the historical army of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919-21, and the Irish Civil War 1922-23. ... Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ...

Irish Defence Forces cap badge
"Óglaigh na hÉireann" and "Fianna Fáil" (FF) are alternative translations of "Irish 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. An alternative Irish name, Fianna Fáil, also translatable as "Warriors of Ireland", was also sometimes used. The term Fianna Fáil was used in the Irish national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann and as the name of the Fianna Fáil political party, founded in 1926. The initials "FF" were incorporated into the Volunteer badge, and later the badge of the Irish Defence Forces..[3] Image File history File links Óglaigh_na_hÉireann. ... Image File history File links Óglaigh_na_hÉireann. ... Commissioned Officer and Senior NCO Bronze Cap Badge. ... The only true Óglaigh na hÉireann is the Irish Republican Army, which is under the direction of the Continuity Army Council. ... Amhrán na bhFiann (IPA: ) is the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; (traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though a literal translation is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland),[1] is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ...


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"[4] (Irish earcach[5]) or "cadet" (Irish dalta)[6] rather than a "volunteer" or óglach. The Irish Army uses Saighdiúr Singil ("single soldier") as Irish for the rank of Private.[7] The Irish Defence Forces are the army, navy and air force of the Republic of Ireland. ... Troops from the Ranger wing, the Irish armys Special forces The Irish Army (Irish: Arm na hÉireann) is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces (Óglaigh na hÉireann). ... A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank (equivalent to Nato Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in). ...


Definition

The term volunteer can be used to describe the entire membership of an Irish republican paramilitary organisation.[8], 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.[9] 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. A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank (equivalent to Nato Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in). ... The following is the list of those who have served as Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army in the various incarnations of organisations bearing that name. ... The IRA Quartermaster General (QMG) runs a department which is responsible for obtaining, concealing and maintaining the store of weaponry of the Irish Republican Army. ...


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" [10]. Joe Cahill (1920 - July 23, 2004) was a controversial Irish politician and former member of the Irish Republican Army. ... Long Kesh Internment Camp was the main location for Operation Demetrius internees. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a paramilitary group which aimed, through the use of violence, to achieve three goals: (i) British withdrawal from Ireland, (ii) the political unification of Ireland through the merger of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland , and (iii) the creation of an all... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...


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" [11]. The term Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA refers to one of the two organisations - the other being the Provisional Irish Republican Army - that emerged from the split in the then Irish Republican Army in 1969-70. ... Joe McCann (born 3-2-1987 in Essex, Ontario) is an ice hockey player. ...


Most modern IRA memorials refer to the dead only as "Volunteer", "Vol." or "Óglach" rather than giving a specific rank.[12][13]


Becoming a Volunteer

The Green Book (IRA training manual) defines the role of a new volunteer as follows:[14] The IRA Green Book is a training and induction manual issued by the Irish Republican Army to new volunteers. ...

  • 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."

In Loyalism

Loyalist paramilitary memorials also remember their dead as "Volunteers" [15]. Gusty Spence, founder of the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, described himself as a, "Volunteer of Ulster".[16] This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Augustus Spence (born 28th June 1933) is a former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force and a leading loyalist politician. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) are a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ...


See also

The only true Óglaigh na hÉireann is the Irish Republican Army, which is under the direction of the Continuity Army Council. ... The IRA Green Book is a training and induction manual issued by the Irish Republican Army to new volunteers. ...

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 Earl of Longford and Thomas P. O’Neill, Eamon de Valera, Dublin 1970, ISBN 978-0-09-104660-6, chapter 21
  4. ^ The Army Recruit. Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  5. ^ Earcach an Airm (Irish). Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11. (Irish-language version of the preceding page)
  6. ^ Defence Forces Cadetships. Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  7. ^ Óglaigh na hÉireann: An Struchtúr Céime. Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.(Irish) (Defence Forces ranks in Irish)
  8. ^ Bell, J. Bowyer. The Gun in Politics: An Analysis of Irish Political Conflict, 1916-1986. ISBN 088738126X. 
  9. ^ Moloney, Ed (2002). A Secret History of the IRA, p.571. 
  10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1iwueLGHfM
  11. ^ South Belfast - Plaques. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  12. ^ West Belfast - Memorials. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  13. ^ West Belfast - Murals. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  14. ^ Dillon, Martin (1990). The Dirty War. Hutchinson, p.468. ISBN 0-09-984520-2,. 
  15. ^ East Belfast - Memorials. CAIN. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  16. ^ Bishop, Patrick; Eamon Mallie (1987). The Provisional IRA. Heinemann, p.238. ISBN 0434074101. 

 

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