The lying: a former terrorist describes his life in the IRA, and looks at the current peace negotiations through the prism of what he learned in his old life

National Review, Jan 27, 1997 by Sean O'Callaghan

A couple of evenings later Scotland Yard called a late night news conference. Knowing that it was to take place I left England and went to France the day before. Commander William Hucklesby, then in charge of the anti-terrorist squad, named me and said that I was part of an IRA team ready to kill a prominent politician in the run-up to the election.

In such a manner the attack was averted and I was able to return to Ireland, reputation enhanced, having escaped the clutches of the enemy. There was so much activity in that period that I can only give a general account here. Another event should serve to give some idea of the damage done to the IRA in this period. In 1984 the Provisional IRA invested a lot of time and money in America. They conspired with a gang of drug smugglers, pimps, and loan sharks from the Boston area to assemble a large quantity of weapons and smuggle them to Ireland. They spent about $2 million putting the shipment of some seven tons of arms, ammunition and explosives together. In September a trawler called the Valhalla sailed from the Boston area heading for Ireland. On board, along with some of the Boston gang, was a former U.S. Marine and now IRA volunteer.

Waiting for the Valhalla off the Kerry coast in an area known as the porcupine bank was a smaller Kerry-based trawler called the Marita Ann. I kept the Garda informed of every detail about the operation. After the weapons were loaded onto the Marita Ann, an operation mostly overseen by an RAF Nimrod, it headed for the Kerry coast. It was ambushed by an Irish navy frigate with Garda officers on board. All the weapons were recovered, and the crew captured. On board was one of the most senior men in the IRA. Also there was the Marine, who had come with the Valhalla. Its crew were later arrested in America, along with other members of the gang who had conspired to gather the weapons.

I WAS particularly pleased to have played a major part in foiling such a dangerous IRA plot. Irish-American romantic views of Ireland have contributed greatly to the Provisional IRA's capacity to murder. I was glad that this time their bloody and ill-considered plans had come to nothing.

By 1985 I was responsible for the IRA in the south of Ireland. That meant that I was a member of the IRA's GHQ staff, the grouping that runs the IRA on a daily basis. This brought me into daily contact with many of the IRA leadership. I was familiar with most aspects of IRA activity, finance, engineering, training, and the England department in particular. I also met the chief of staff almost weekly. He was the man from County Tyrone who had hoped the dead policewoman was pregnant.

I was also a member of the Sinn Fein national executive. That brought me into regular contact with people such as Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, and Pat Doherty. It is interesting now to recall my impressions of those national executive meetings and the personalities so prominent in the present peace process. Everybody knew nothing of any real importance would be decided at those meetings. Sinn Fein is not like normal democratic parties. The decisions that matter are taken elsewhere, by the IRA army council.