Truce Liaison
Introduction from Chronology
As part of the Truce, liaison officers were set up between the British
Army/RIC and the IRA to sort out details and resolve any disputes at local
level.
More Detail
Eoin O’Duffy, who had been appointed Truce
Liaison Officer for Belfast, sets up in St Mary Hall in Belfast and announces
that all IRA activity, except self-defence, would cease.
Patrick Shiels in appointed liaison office for Derry and Donegal but
later is superseded by Patrick Lynch from Magera.
George Lennon appointed liaison officer for Waterford with Paddy Paul as
his deputy.
William Stack is appointed liaison officer for the BA’s 14th
Infantry Brigade area in their 5th Division; Finton Murphy for the
15th Infantry Brigade and Michael Staines for the Galway Brigade
area.
In the official history of the 5th Division of the BA in
Ireland, they state “The class of individual selected for these “liaison”
duties (they were all officers of the IRA) left much to be desired.”
The BA in its overall Record of
the Rebellion says that “The liaison arrangements were in fact little more
than a farce. The men originally
selected by Sinn Fein were in many cases leading extremists, whose complicity
in outrages and murder was well known to the British officers who were required
to deal with them”.
As usual in its various Records of
the Rebellion written by the BA, the
British Army never draws attention to the “outrages and murder” committed by
the Crown Forces. More generally, what clearly come through is the arrogance and the
condescension of the BA’s officers towards the IRA. For example, see Sep-1921/4. See also Jul-1921/8.