Epilogue and Conclusion
Epilogue and Conclusion
The fortunes enjoyed in the years following the end of the civil war by Art O’Brien, the ISDL and other republicans formerly active in Britain are sketched. The IRA's campaign of violence in Britain in 1920–22 is compared and contrasted with that of the IRA in 1939–40, the Provisional IRA and Real IRA in 1972–2001 and al-Qaeda from 2005 onwards in terms of aims and execution. The author then reiterates his argument that republicans in Britain acted as auxiliaries to the IRA in Ireland. This was most obviously the case in the areas of gunrunning and violent attacks. However, such support was also evident in less spectacular activities, such as sheltering men on the run and contributing to republican fundraising schemes. ‘The war of independence and the civil war were ultimately won and lost by the actions of actors in Ireland,’ the author concludes, ‘but republicans in Britain played a noteworthy role in the drama.’
Keywords: Art O’Brien, Irish Republican Army 1939–40, Irish Self-Determination League of Great Britain, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Real Irish Republican Army
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