Saor Éire

In December, 1969, following a split in the Republican Movement over the issue of the recognition of and participation in the Partition and Westminster parliaments, Thomas Maguire, as the sole surviving member of the Executive of the Second Dail Eireann recognised the Provisional Army Council, which remained true to the Irish Republic as the lawful Army of the Thirty-two County Irish Republic.

In a statement dated December 31 , 1969 Thomas Maguire said :

An IRA convention , held in December 1969 , by a majority of the delegates attending , passed a resolution removing all embargoes on political participation in parliament from the Constitution and Rules of the IRA .

POWERS DELEGATED IN 1938

The effect of the resolution is he abandonment of what is popularly termed the "Abstentionist Policy" . The " Abstentionist Policy" means that the Republican candidates contesting parliamentary elections in Leinster House, Stormont or Westminster give pre-election pledges not to take seats in any of those parliaments. The Republican candidates seek election to the 32-county Parliament of the Irish Republic, the Republican Dail or Dail Eireann, to give it its offical title.T he declared objective is to elect sufficent representatives to enable the 32-County Dail Eireann to be reassembled .

In December 1938 , the surviving faithful members of the latest 32-county Republican parliament , the Second Dail , elected in 1921 , delegated their executive powers of government to the Army Council of the IRA . This proclamation of 1938 was signed by Sean O Ceallaigh , Ceann Comhairle , George Count Plunkett , Professor William Stockley , Mary Mac Swiney , Brian O hUiginn , Cathal O Murchadha and myself Tomas Maguire .

NEITHER RIGHT NOR AUTHORITY

The majority of the delegates at the December, 1969, IRA Convention, having passed the resolution referred to above, proceeded to elect an Executive which in turn appointed a new Army Council, committed to implement the resolution.That convention had neither the right nor the authority to pass such a resolution.

Accordingly, I, as the sole surviving member of the Executive of Dail Eireann, and the sole suriviving signatory of the 1938 Proclamation, hereby declare that the resolution is illegal and that the alleged Executive and Army Council are illegal, and have no right to claim the allegiance of either soldiers or citizens of the Irish Republic.

Provisional Army Council

The delegates who opposed the resolution, together with delegates from units which were not represented at the Convention, met subsequently in Convention and repudiated the resolution. They re-affirmed their allegiance to the Republic and elected a Provisional Executive which in turn appointed a Provisional Army Council.

Lawful Executive and Council

I hereby further declare that the Provisional Executive and the Provisional Army Council are the lawful Executive and Army Council respectively of the IRA and that the governmental authority delegated in the Proclamation of 1938 now resides in the Provisional Army Council and its lawful successors. I fully endorse their call for support for Irish people everywhere towards the realisation of the full freedom of Ireland.

Dated the 31st of December, 1969.
Signed: Thomas Maguire,
Comdt. Gen.
(Tomas Mac Uidhir).