Role of IRA leader informer in the 1970 arms trial

Adam9213

Irish Cabinet ministers Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney were dismissed by then-taoiseach Jack Lynch after they were alleged to have been involved in the plot to smuggle a shipment of arms to the IRA.

In the book Deception and Lies, the Hidden history of the Arms Crisis 1970’ was written, he says, with support from IRA and Garda figures but only minimal input from the Haughey family.

Second son of an Arms Trial TD calls for truth after founding PIRA chief Sean Mac Stiofáin named as Garda agent in ‘Deception and Lies, the Hidden history of the Arms Crisis’ by David.

Irish Cabinet ministers Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney were dismissed by then-taoiseach Jack Lynch after they were alleged to have been involved in the plot to smuggle a shipment of arms to the IRA.

The row led to the infamous Arms Trials of the 1970s which saw no convictions.

Now, 50 years later, the TD’s son, lawyer David Burke, has published his conclusions on the matter, which he has been researching for 35 years

In 1971 the committee “got nowhere” because the Garda would not cooperate with the TDs, he said.

“My father’s conclusion of the whole affair was puzzlement ‘what the hell was going on?’ Which undoubtedly planted the seed in my head to see if I could find out what had happened.”

Haugheys son in his book, ‘Deception and Lies, the Hidden history of the Arms Crisis 1970’ was written, he says, with support from IRA and Garda figures but only minimal input from the Haughey family.

His thesis was that the entire arms smuggling operation was totally legitimate because it was backed by the Taosieach and Irish cabinet.

Controversially, he believes they never supplied any weapons to the IRA and only intended to arm civilian Catholics in the event of massive civil disorder.


Fianna Fáil TD Seán Haughey - claimed that leading IRA figure Sean Mac Stiofáin, tipped off Irish authorities about the arms shipment coming into Dublin. It is purported his motive was to undermine his rivals in the terror group before it split into the Official and Provisional IRA, of which he would become Chief of Staff.

If true, it would mean a Garda agent was leading the PIRA in the bloodiest year of the Troubles – 1972

UUP Justice Spokesman Doug Beattie says the claim about Mac Stiofáin being a garda Agent is “potentially the biggest scandal by far in terms of government complicity with paramilitaries” and called for a public inquiry into the matter.

Mac Stiofáin had been recruited in Cork around 1966 by a fella who later went on to be Garda Commissioner and they genuinely believed that he was a golden goose; he was the director of intelligence of the IRA.

“He sat in at all Army Council meetings he knew everything that was going on. But what the police didn’t realise until 1972 was that he was not a genuine or sincere informer, he was working to his own agenda and was misleading them and they didn’t realise that until it was far too late. In the meantime he had kick-started the Arms Crisis.

“But I am not letting the cops off the hook and Doug Beattie has a good point. But I would like to know how on earth they had been so stupid to not realise until June or July 1972 that Mac Stiofáin was feeding them lies and making fools of them.”

Adam9213

Adam9213 wrote: »

Irish Cabinet ministers Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney were dismissed by then-taoiseach Jack Lynch after they were alleged to have been involved in the plot to smuggle a shipment of arms to the IRA.

In the book Deception and Lies, the Hidden history of the Arms Crisis 1970’ was written, he says, with support from IRA and Garda figures but only minimal input from the Haughey family.

Second son of an Arms Trial TD calls for truth after founding PIRA chief Sean Mac Stiofáin named as Garda agent in ‘Deception and Lies, the Hidden history of the Arms Crisis’ by David.

Irish Cabinet ministers Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney were dismissed by then-taoiseach Jack Lynch after they were alleged to have been involved in the plot to smuggle a shipment of arms to the IRA.

The row led to the infamous Arms Trials of the 1970s which saw no convictions.

Now, 50 years later, the TD’s son, lawyer David Burke, has published his conclusions on the matter, which he has been researching for 35 years

In 1971 the committee “got nowhere” because the Garda would not cooperate with the TDs, he said.

“My father’s conclusion of the whole affair was puzzlement ‘what the hell was going on?’ Which undoubtedly planted the seed in my head to see if I could find out what had happened.”

Haugheys son in his book, ‘Deception and Lies, the Hidden history of the Arms Crisis 1970’ was written, he says, with support from IRA and Garda figures but only minimal input from the Haughey family.

His thesis was that the entire arms smuggling operation was totally legitimate because it was backed by the Taosieach and Irish cabinet.

Controversially, he believes they never supplied any weapons to the IRA and only intended to arm civilian Catholics in the event of massive civil disorder.


Fianna Fáil TD Seán Haughey - claimed that leading IRA figure Sean Mac Stiofáin, tipped off Irish authorities about the arms shipment coming into Dublin. It is purported his motive was to undermine his rivals in the terror group before it split into the Official and Provisional IRA, of which he would become Chief of Staff.

If true, it would mean a Garda agent was leading the PIRA in the bloodiest year of the Troubles – 1972

UUP Justice Spokesman Doug Beattie says the claim about Mac Stiofáin being a garda Agent is “potentially the biggest scandal by far in terms of government complicity with paramilitaries” and called for a public inquiry into the matter.

Mac Stiofáin had been recruited in Cork around 1966 by a fella who later went on to be Garda Commissioner and they genuinely believed that he was a golden goose; he was the director of intelligence of the IRA.

“He sat in at all Army Council meetings he knew everything that was going on. But what the police didn’t realise until 1972 was that he was not a genuine or sincere informer, he was working to his own agenda and was misleading them and they didn’t realise that until it was far too late. In the meantime he had kick-started the Arms Crisis.

“But I am not letting the cops off the hook and Doug Beattie has a good point. But I would like to know how on earth they had been so stupid to not realise until June or July 1972 that Mac Stiofáin was feeding them lies and making fools of them.”

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