Informers and the Battle Against Republican Terrorism: A Review of 30 Years of Conflict

Abstract

The efficacy of using informers in the battle against terrorism is evident from their use against successive Irish republican organisations over the past 300 years. This paper is primarily concerned with the role of informers in combating the Irish Republican Army (IRA) over the last three decades and draws on material published by the republican movement, the security services, former informers and intelligence operatives, and interviews with actors from both sides of the conflict. Whilst the potential value of using informers in the battle against terrorism is beyond question, a review of the Northern Irish experience does present an opportunity to examine some of the key themes emerging in an area often ignored by those outside the intelligence community.