Assemblage and fragmentation in Irish republican political development, 1969-1986. 'How do you hold that broad church together?'

Abstract

This study assembles oral histories and archival research to reconstruct the political development of the Provisional Republican Movement from the group’s emergence in 1969 to its institutionalisation with the ending of abstentionism in the Republic of Ireland.  It does so by applying a fresh theoretical framework, Assemblage and Fragmentation Theory (AFT). Through a focus on micro-level relations and the perceptions of factors that shaped them, the study traces how dynamics of assemblage and fragmentation influenced intragroupism and, consequently, the political evolution of the Movement. The thesis underscores the period of the 1970s, which the secondary literature has largely examined through an emphasis on military activity, often underestimating non-violent political initiatives prior to the Movement’s embrace of electoralism in the 1980s. Across four empirical thematic chapters, the findings show a range of initiatives that suggest that from the early 1970s, the group already operated as a political movement inclined towards negotiation, the development of political thought, and the formulation of economic and political programmes. Through a continuous assessment of political realities, these initiatives contributed to the emergence of a community-oriented political strategy.  Indeed, the perception of the community as the telos of political life played a significant role in directing the Movement’s political trajectory, alongside other relevant factors including temporal and geographical dimensions, generational dynamics and organisational structure. Drawing on an Aristotelian understanding of politics, the thesis - through the framework of AFT - conceptualises Irish Republicanism as a fluid and nonhierarchical interplay between armed struggle, electoralism and the practices that lie between them. The findings not only illuminate the political development – although uneven, yet progressive over time – of the Provisional Republican Movement, but also offer broader insights into the pathways of other revolutionary movements.

Thesis embargoed until 30 June 2028

Date of Award	Jun 2026
Original language	English
Sponsors	VCRS
Supervisor	Cillian McGrattan (Supervisor), Niall Gilmartin (Supervisor) & Michelle Rouse (Supervisor)