IRA Archives - Solidarity (Ireland)

50 years after Kingsmill – lessons written in blood

Fifty years ago, on the evening of 5 January 1976, twelve workers were travelling home by minibus when they were stopped at Kingsmill, near Whitecross in south Armagh. They believed this was a security force checkpoint. In fact, the uniformed men who

Jan 10, 2026

Featured Articles·News & Analysis·The North

30 years on: The Shankill bomb and Greysteel massacre

By Kevin Henry October 23 is the 30th anniversary of Shankill Bombings. Ten people were killed: one of the IRA bombers, a UDA member and eight Protestant civilians, two of whom were children. The UDA in particular was responsible for a number

Oct 31, 2023

‘War Against Bolshevism’: The Irish Civil War, 1922-23

This week marks 100 years since the outbreak of the Irish Civil War. The British prime minister threatened ‘terrible war’ unless the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed. ‘Terrible war’ came anyway – only it was fought by men in green uniforms instead of

Jun 28, 2022

“Stepping stone” to nowhere: 100 years since Anglo-Irish treaty

By Manus Lenihan On the night of 5-6 December 1921, five men piled into a taxi at Downing Street, London, and set off for their lodgings in a state of shock. The British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, had just issued a

Dec 16, 2021

Theory & History

40 years since the end of Hunger Strikes: How state repression could be fought

By Sean Burns The hunger strikes of 1980-81 and the events preceding them, was one of the many horrific chapters in the Troubles, and arguably helped create a new spiral of conflict and violence lasting for more than a decade. The Thatcher

Oct 17, 2021

Reviews and Culture·Theory & History

Review: One Man’s Terrorist

Reviewed by Seán Burns This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Provisional IRA. This new book, One Man’s Terrorist: A political history of the IRA, is therefore a timely study of this movement. Seán Burns looks at the book and

May 23, 2020

Theory & History

April 1920: Revolutionary General Strike in Ireland

One hundred years ago this month, workers downed tools and took over their workplaces and towns. What began as a hunger strike in prison grew into a general strike against British Imperialism that pointed in the direction of socialism and workers’ power.

May 7, 2020

Theory & History

August 1969 – When British troops went into Northern Ireland

By Peter Hadden (first published in August 2009) August 1969 was a turning point in the history of Northern Ireland. It was then that the Labour Government of Harold Wilson took the decision to send troops onto the streets, first of Derry,

Aug 13, 2019

The War of Independence, The Working Class & the Struggle for Socialism

By Kevin McLoughlin, first published in December 2016 in the Socialist Party’s book Ireland’s Lost Revolution, The Working Class and the Struggle for Socialism The 1916 Rising was the start of a revolutionary process that engulfed the whole of Ireland, North and

Jan 4, 2019

Theory & History

British state repression, the IRA’s armed campaign and the Labour Movement

Article written by Peter Hadden in 2008 Death on the rock of Gibraltar – 20 years since SAS killing of three IRA volunteers It is twenty years since the execution style killing by the SAS of three IRA members in Gibraltar. In

Mar 19, 2018

IRA

50 years after Kingsmill – lessons written in blood

30 years on: The Shankill bomb and Greysteel massacre

‘War Against Bolshevism’: The Irish Civil War, 1922-23

“Stepping stone” to nowhere: 100 years since Anglo-Irish treaty

40 years since the end of Hunger Strikes: How state repression could be fought

Review: One Man’s Terrorist

April 1920: Revolutionary General Strike in Ireland

August 1969 – When British troops went into Northern Ireland

The War of Independence, The Working Class & the Struggle for Socialism

British state repression, the IRA’s armed campaign and the Labour Movement

Socialist Alternative – Marxist journal of Solidarity

Divide & Rule pamphlet by Peter Hadden