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Changing Direction The Irish Republican Movement’s Decision to End Abstention College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Master of Arts Department of Political Studies University of Saskatchewan Trisha Maria Keatings September 2017 © Trisha Maria Keatings, September 2017, All Rights Reserved Contents Permission to Use ............................................................................................................................ i Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 5 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................... 7 Implications of Study ................................................................................................................ 10 Chapter Outline ......................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter One .................................................................................................................................. 15 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 15 The 1916 Easter Uprising .......................................................................................................... 17 The Post-Anglo-Irish Treaty Era ............................................................................................... 25 Re-Establishing Ties and Moving to the Left ........................................................................... 28 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 32 Chapter Two.................................................................................................................................. 34 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 34 1969: Emergence of the Provisional ......................................................................................... 35 The 1970 Lower Falls Curfew .................................................................................................. 39 The 1972 Ceasefire.................................................................................................................... 42 The 1975 Ceasefire.................................................................................................................... 46 The 1981 Hunger Strikes........................................................................................................... 49 1986: Ending Abstention ........................................................................................................... 53 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 54 Chapter Three................................................................................................................................ 56 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 56 Understanding Ontological Security ......................................................................................... 56 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 63 Chapter Four ................................................................................................................................. 65 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 65 1969: Emergence of the Provisional ......................................................................................... 67 The 1970 Lower Falls Curfew .................................................................................................. 70 The 1972 Ceasefire.................................................................................................................... 73 The 1975 ceasefire .................................................................................................................... 79 The 1981 Hunger Strikes........................................................................................................... 87 1986: Ending Abstention ........................................................................................................... 96 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 106 Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................................... 113 Works Cited ................................................................................................................................ 116 Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis/dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Political Studies 283C Arts Building, 9 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N-5A5 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i Abstract From the beginning, the Irish Republican Movement (IRM) had upheld a commitment to abstaining from taking elected seats in what were viewed as illegitimate government institutions. This commitment, coupled with the use of armed conflict to achieve their stated goals, can be viewed as founding pillars to their strategy for ousting the British from Ireland. In 1986, the abstention policy was abandoned amidst a decades-long war with the British known as the Troubles. This thesis explores the following questions: why did the IRM end abstention during the Troubles and what role did this period of time have in that decision? It is concluded that this decision was the means to realign the IRM’s biographical narrative with the movement’s practices and therefore maintain its ontological security, or stable sense of self. A number of critical events during the Troubles brought this tension between identity and practice into stark contrast. It is argued this tension was alleviated by the ending of the abstention policy and participation in established political processes. ii Acknowledgments The author would like to acknowledge both of her co-supervisors, Martin Gaal and Hans Michelmann. Thank you for your support, guidance and, most of all, your patience. I learned a great deal about myself through this process and I could not have completed without you both. Thank you also for allowing me to pursue a topic I am passionate about and for keeping me in check. Additional acknowledgment and thank you to my Advisory Committee, Kalowatie Deonandan and Jeremy Rayner, for their challenging and thought provoking enquiries during the defense. You kept me on my toes, to say the least. A special thank you to the University of Saskatchewan for the funds received through the University of Saskatchewan Graduate Scholarship as well as the University of Saskatchewan Graduate Teaching Fellowship, which supported me financially through my graduate studies. I would also like to thank Lavina Watts, Jenn Morgan and Neil Hibbert for all of their assistance with the various forms I needed signed and submitted when I moved out of Saskatoon and could not complete and submit them on my own. I cannot say enough what a weight that took from my shoulders. iii Introduction With deep roots that evolved through many years of Irish history, the Irish Republican Movement (IRM)1,2 is based on a revolutionary ideology that believes in the use of physical force to gain Irish independence from the British and form a thirty-two country republic3. The unending quest for sovereignty has coloured much of Ireland’s past, from the 1916 Easter Uprising to the Troubles4