Brendan Hughes

Current Affairs
1

What’s the general consensus on Brendan, gents? There’s obviously a touch of the bloodthirsty psychopath about him but I respect him for everything he admitted to and some of his actions in his later years. He was at the forefront of defending Catholics from the RUC, British army and loyalist death squads at the start of the troubles but also committed some vile acts himself. He has probably done the most damage to Gerry Adam’s reputation and I will never understand why Adams continues to deny membership of the IRA.

Irish hero or crazed lunatic?

2

Hero.

3

[quote=“Horsebox, post: 891756, member: 1537”]What’s the general consensus on Brendan, gents? There’s obviously a touch of the bloodthirsty psychopath about him but I respect him for everything he admitted to and some of his actions in his later years. He was at the forefront of defending Catholics from the RUC, British army and loyalist death squads at the start of the troubles but also committed some vile acts himself. He has probably done the most damage to Gerry Adam’s reputation and I will never understand why Adams continues to deny membership of the IRA.

Irish hero or crazed lunatic?[/quote]

I am not too well up on his ‘vile acts’. More details there mate?

He saw the Good Friday agreement as an act of surrender. I could see how someone who gave their life to the cause would think that in that the Brits still rule the North. He seemed to hate Adams for that reason and again, that is something which you could understand.

I would have some time for Adams and McGuinness but to me, their denial of ever being in the IRA (in Adams’ case) and leaving the IRA in 1974 (in McGuinness’ case) will always count against them. For two reasons:

  1. It shows them to be liars.
  2. It shows that they view the Armed Struggle as something to be ashamed of.
4

[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 891782, member: 24”]I am not too well up on his ‘vile acts’. More details there mate?

He saw the Good Friday agreement as an act of surrender. I could see how someone who gave their life to the cause would think that in that the Brits still rule the North. He seemed to hate Adams for that reason and again, that is something which you could understand.

I would have some time for Adams and McGuinness but to me, their denial of ever being in the IRA (in Adams’ case) and leaving the IRA in 1974 (in McGuinness’ case) will always count against them. For two reasons:

  1. It shows them to be liars.
  2. It shows that they view the Armed Struggle as something to be ashamed of.[/quote]
    He orchestrated Bloody Friday for one thing mate, where 9 innocent people(plus two British soldiers) were killed and 130 people were injured, some of them horrifically so. Whatever views you have on the struggle, that was a heinous act.

I would agree with the rest of your points although I would have a lot of time for Martin McGuinness.

5

[quote=“Horsebox, post: 891795, member: 1537”]He orchestrated Bloody Friday for one thing mate, where 9 innocent people(plus two British soldiers) were killed and 130 people were injured, some of them horrifically so. Whatever views you have on the struggle, that was a heinous act.

I would agree with the rest of your points although I would have a lot of time for Martin McGuinness.[/quote]

I agree on Bloody Friday. I didn’t realise that he was behind it.

There is no doubt that some of the things the IRA did were vile. Kingsmill, La Mon, Enniskillen, proxy bombs amongest them.

6

[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 891797, member: 24”]I agree on Bloody Friday. I didn’t realise that he was behind it.

There is no doubt that some of the things the IRA did were vile. Kingsmill, La Mon, Enniskillen, proxy bombs amongest them.[/quote]
To be fair to him, he did express remorse for it before he died but that doesn’t absolve him from it obviously.

7

@Mark Renton as the foremost historian on the board, I would be interested in your views.

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i think sometimes Bloody Friday gets a pretty bad rap. warnings were given and phone calls made with sufficient time. some have suggested that decisions were made to ignore warnings. i agree that 2 from 11 is a poor enough haul. it was 1972 and people’s dander was up. there is a lot to admire in brendan hughes in my opinion.

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Kingsmill was not the work of the PIRA.

10

As for Hughes himself I’m a little in the dark regards him…

11

[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 891782, member: 24”]I am not too well up on his ‘vile acts’. More details there mate?

He saw the Good Friday agreement as an act of surrender. I could see how someone who gave their life to the cause would think that in that the Brits still rule the North. He seemed to hate Adams for that reason and again, that is something which you could understand.

I would have some time for Adams and McGuinness but to me, their denial of ever being in the IRA (in Adams’ case) and leaving the IRA in 1974 (in McGuinness’ case) will always count against them. For two reasons:

  1. It shows them to be liars.
  2. It shows that they view the Armed Struggle as something to be ashamed of.[/quote]

Part 1 correct but part 2 is more to do with incriminating themselves. Its still an arrestable offence to be a member of the IRA. Why would they be ashamed of it when they stood over it for so long.

12

Because there are a sizeable amount of people on this island who despise the IRA and their actions.

Adams and McGuinness want to make inroads in the political sphere with Sinn Fein. A label such as ‘the guy who ordered the killing of Jean McConville’ would not sit well with the electorate I would think.

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Whether it was authorised by the Army Council is up for debate (I personally think not), but it was carried out by members of the South Armagh brigade.

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The fact that none of the perpetrators were visited by a nutting squads shows it was approved albeit tacitly by army council

15

[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 891866, member: 24”]Because there are a sizeable amount of people on this island who despise the IRA and their actions.

Adams and McGuinness want to make inroads in the political sphere with Sinn Fein. A label such as ‘the guy who ordered the killing of Jean McConville’ would not sit well with the electorate I would think.[/quote]

Whether he admits it or not thats the label he has in any case !

16

[quote=“farmerinthecity, post: 891782, member: 24”]I am not too well up on his ‘vile acts’. More details there mate?

He saw the Good Friday agreement as an act of surrender. I could see how someone who gave their life to the cause would think that in that the Brits still rule the North. He seemed to hate Adams for that reason and again, that is something which you could understand.

I would have some time for Adams and McGuinness but to me, their denial of ever being in the IRA (in Adams’ case) and leaving the IRA in 1974 (in McGuinness’ case) will always count against them. For two reasons:

  1. It shows them to be liars.
  2. It shows that they view the Armed Struggle as something to be ashamed of.[/quote]

I have actually come to the view that Adams may not have ever been in the IRA as such.

My thoughts on it are that rather than being in the IRA he was just in Sinn Fein, but that Sinn Fein may have exerted a much larger influence over the IRA than thought, as in Sinn Fein ran the IRA rather than the other way around. Alternatively he was in an IRB type group who were just a small leadership band selected from the IRA/Sinn Fein ranks, which ran the IRA, but would not necessarily have needed Adams to be a member of the IRA.

It is widely documented that Gerry was at least high up in the decision making process and most likely had the final say matters, this does not necessarily mean that Gerry had to be the leader of the IRA, not if the IRA reported to Sinn Fein for example or the IRB type group.

My reasoning is as follows:

It makes no sense for Adams to continue to deny his membership, everyone knows he was up to his neck in it so why would he? Unless it isn’t actually true.

It would make sense if you were the head of an illegal organisation to have some distance, i.e. have others running the show on your commands while distancing yourself from same.

It would be very difficult to assemble the leaders of a Paramilitary Group when presumably all were under constant watch. Much easier to assemble a meeting of your poltical party. You wouldn’t even need to hide it.

Maybe McGuinness did leave the IRA in the 70’s then as a promotion of sorts to the IRB type group or whatever.

This isn’t necessarily contradictory to evidence, books etc. claiming Adams was the leader of the IRA, it’s just he may not have been an official member.

Obviously it’s all just semantics really, but maybe those asking Gerry Adams was he ever in the IRA have just been asking the wrong questions all along.

17

Interesting viewpoint @Julio Geordio. I think I like this dotted line reporting model you put forward. Can you draft it up in organisation structure format, please?

18

Spot on JG- Thats my reading of it aswell. Adams just doesn’t strike me as the type who’d get his hands dirty whereas McGuinness would. Adams probably had a seat on the Army Counclli for his political overview but no say in IRA Operations would be my guess.

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Soviet of Republican Leaders
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    IRA - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - -Sinn Fein
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[quote=“Julio Geordio, post: 891943, member: 332”]Soviet of Republican Leaders
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  • ____________________*
    IRA - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - -Sinn Fein[/quote]

Best I could do mate.