Garda had network of paid IRA informants in 'practically every county'

INTELLIGENCE:PAID INFORMANTS were the basis for most of the intelligence-gathering on the IRA in the 1930s, according to Department of Justice files.

An internal memorandum from July 1933 explains how a network had been established for the supply of reliable information.

“In practically every county gardaí have established friendly contact with one or more members of the organisation.

“These persons within the organisation in most cases receive payment at regular intervals but in some cases they will not take money, their motive in supplying information being that they do not want to see trouble developing locally.

“The ranks of these persons within the organisation vary between volunteer, company o/c and battalion ranks. Members of detective branch meet them regularly and learn from them the activities in the locality.

“Reports are made by detective branch verbally or in writing to the local officers who report all information considered of importance to headquarters.

“The identity of such persons is known to local officers but is not revealed in writing . . . it is possible in many cases to gauge at Headquarters the strength of the information by comparison with information received from other areas.”

Continuous efforts to seek fresh sources had to be made: “Experience shows that the period of usefulness of sources of information does not last on an average more than a couple of years.”

In general it was found that, “the more activities are undertaken by local units of the organisation the easier it is to secure fresh sources of information”.

Where the IRA was using a particular address for correspondence, a postal warrant was sought whereby all mail for that address was held by the postal authorities and delivered to the Garda Síochána in the first instance.

“The correspondence is unsealed and examined by [the] Garda, copied or photographed if considered necessary and original resealed and returned to Post Office without delay.”

Another document, issued from the office of Garda commissioner Eamon Broy in March 1935, states: “The member of the Garda who first discovers a source of information should not disclose the identity to any other party – officer or otherwise.”

The memo continues: “The member of the Garda who tattles or communicates police information carelessly is probably as great a menace to an intelligence system as the member who sets out deliberately to break that system.”

The IRA leadership at the time instructed members not to attack Blueshirt meetings. However, another Garda document reports that: “John Joe Sheehy (Tralee) rose in his seat and said: ‘No matter what orders are issued from IRA Headquarters or anywhere else, if Duffy (sic) ever comes to Kerry we will hang his bones at Ballyseedy”.

Ballyseedy, the document notes, was the “scene of a major Civil War atrocity.”