List of Irish Republican Army chiefs of staff

The following is the list of those who are reported to have served as Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (Irish: Ceann Foirne Óglaigh na hÉireann) in the organisations bearing that name. Due to the clandestine nature of these organisations, this list is not definitive.

Chiefs of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (1917–1922)

No.	Name	Assumed position	Left position	Source
1	Cathal Brugha^[a]	27 October 1917	March 1919	[1]
2	Richard Mulcahy	March 1919	15 January 1922	[2]
3	Eoin O'Duffy	15 January 1922	July 1922	[2]

a. ^{^} Chairman of the Resident Executive

Chiefs of Staff of the (anti-Treaty) Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)

No.	Name	Assumed position	Left position	Source
	Liam Lynch (1st time)	26 March 1922	18 June 1922	[3]
	Joe McKelvey	18 June 1922	30 June 1922	[4]
	Liam Lynch (2nd time)	30 June 1922	10 April 1923
	Frank Aiken	20 April 1923	12 November 1925	[5]
	Andrew Cooney	12 November 1925	July 1926	[6]
	Moss (Maurice) Twomey	1926 (acting) 1927 (official)	June 1936	[7]
	Seán MacBride	June 1936	late 1936	[8]
	Tom Barry	1937	1937	[3]
	Mick Fitzpatrick	1937	1938	[7]
	Seán Russell	1938	14 August 1940	[9]
	Stephen Hayes	1940?	30 June 1941	[10]
	Pearse Kelly (aka Paul Kelso)	1941	27 November 1941
	Seán Harrington	Aft. November 1941	February 1942
	Seán McCool	February 1942	14 August 1942
	Eoin McNamee	1942	1942	[11]
	Hugh McAteer	1942	12 October 1942
	Charlie Kerins	October 1942	16 June 1944
	Position vacant for some months	16 June 1944	1944
	Harry White	1944	1945
	Patrick Fleming	1 March 1945	1947?	[12]
	Willie McGuinness	1947	1948?	[13]
	Tony Magan (1st time)	November 1948	6 July 1957	[14]
	Richard Burke	January 1957	May 1957	[15]
	Tony Magan (2nd time)	May 1957	6 July 1957	[16]
	Seán Cronin (1st time)	July 1957 (acting) 11 November 1957 (official)	October 1958	[17]
	John Joe McGirl	October 1958	24 October 1958	[18]
	Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (1st time)	24 October 1958	Late May 1959	[19]
	Seán Cronin (2nd time)	Late May 1959	June 1960	[20]
	Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (2nd time)	Summer 1960	7 September 1962	[21]
	Cathal Goulding	7 September 1962	December 1969	[22]

At an IRA Special Army Convention (SAC) held in Dublin on 28 December 1969, the IRA split into two factions, the majority Official IRA and the minority Provisional IRA.

Chiefs of Staff of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (1969–2005)

No.	Name	Assumed position	Left position	Source
	Seán Mac Stíofáin	December 1969	19 November 1972	[23]
	Joe Cahill	November 1972	March 1973	[24]
	Seamus Twomey (1st time)	March 1973	June 1973	[24]
	Éamonn O'Doherty	June 1973	June/July 1974	[25]
	Seamus Twomey (2nd time)	June/July 1974	December 1977	[24]
	Gerry Adams^[a]	3 December 1977	18 February 1978	[26][27][28][29][30]
	Martin McGuinness^[b]	1978	Autumn 1982	[24]
	Ivor Bell	Autumn 1982	September 1983	[24]
	Kevin McKenna	September 1983	October 1997	[24]
	Thomas "Slab" Murphy	October 1997	2005 (campaign officially ended)	[24]

a. ^{^} Some noted Irish and British historians, including Ed Moloney, author of A Secret History of the IRA, have claimed that Gerry Adams has been part of the IRA leadership. Adams has always denied IRA membership, let alone being chief of staff.^[31] b. ^{^} Although he has admitted to IRA membership he has denied ever being Chief of Staff

Chiefs of Staff of the Official Irish Republican Army (1969–present)

No.	Name	Assumed Position	Left Position	Source
	Cathal Goulding	December 1969	1972
	Seán Garland	1998		[32]

Chiefs of Staff of the Continuity Irish Republican Army (1986–present)

No.	Name	Assumed Position	Left Position	Source
	Dáithí Ó Conaill	1986	1991	[33]

See also

• List of organisations known as the Irish Republican Army
• Provisional Irish Republican Army
• Official Irish Republican Army
• Continuity Irish Republican Army

References

1. Aengus Ó Snodaigh, "IRA Convention meets", An Phoblacht/Republican News, 11 May 2000.
2. Maryann Gialanella V, Portrait of a Revolutionary. General Richard Mulcahy and the Founding of the Irish Free State, Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8131-1791-7
3. Meda Ryan, The Real Chief: Liam Lynch, Cork: Mercier, 2005. ISBN 1-85635-460-1
4. Paul V. Walsh, The Irish Civil War, 1922-1923
5. Henry Boylan, A Dictionary of Irish Biography, Dublin: Gill & Macmillan, 1998.
6. "Student Radicals", in: High Ball, February 2002.
7. Brian Hanley, The IRA: 1926-36, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2002. ISBN 1-85182-721-8
8. Seán MacBride That Day's Struggle. A Memoir, ed. Caitríona Lawlor, Dublin: Currach Press, 2005. ISBN 1-85607-929-5
9. J. Bowyer Bell, The Secret Army: The IRA, Somerset: Transaction Publishers, 1997. ISBN 1-56000-901-2
10. Dáil Debates, 7 July 1943.
11. Tim Pat Coogan, The IRA A History, Niwot: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1993. ISBN 1-879373-67-X
12. J. Bowyer Bell, The Secret Army: The IRA, Somerset: Transaction Publishers, 1997. ISBN 1-56000-901-2
13. J. Bowyer Bell, The Secret Army: The IRA, Somerset: Transaction Publishers, 1997. ISBN 1-56000-901-2. See also "Bodenstown: IRA GHQ reorganised", Saoirse, June 1997.
14. J. Bowyer Bell, The Secret Army: The IRA, Somerset: Transaction Publishers, 1997.
15. "Arrests, Collaboration, Victimisation", in Saoirse, May 2007, p. 16
16. J. Bowyer Bell, The Secret Army: The IRA, Somerset: Transaction Publishers, 1997. Magan's tenure ended with his arrest in Dublin. The IRA adjutant-general as well as members of the Army Council were also arrested. See Dáil Debates, 6 November 1957.
17. Robert W. White, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-253-34708-4, pp. 85–6.
18. Named as such by prominent republican, Owen Carron, in a letter entitled Deireadh Seachtaine John Joe McGirl, An Phoblacht/Republican News, 31 July 1997. See also: J. Bowyer Bell, The Secret Army: The IRA, Somerset: Transaction Publishers, 1997, p. 322.
19. By his own admission, see Saoirse interview Revolt in the North 1956-62. See also: Robert W. White, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-253-34708-4, p. 89.
20. Robert W. White, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-253-34708-4, p. 98.]
21. Robert W. White, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-253-34708-4, pp. 98–9, 114.]
22. Robert W. White, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-253-34708-4, pp. 114.]
23. Confirmed by Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, see "Outstanding IRA leader and giant of a man in the Republican Movement", and "Seán Mac Stíofáin -- a tribute", Saoirse, June 2001. See also: Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-101041-X
24. Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-101041-X
25. Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-101041-X. Confirmed in obituary, Saoirse, December 1999.
26. Bowyer Bell, J. (1997). The Secret Army: The IRA. Transaction Publishers. p. 520. ISBN 1-56000-901-2.
27. Bishop, Patrick & Mallie, Eamonn (1987). The Provisional IRA. Corgi Books. p. 315. ISBN 0-552-13337-X.
28. "Broth of a boy - President Clinton recognizes Sinn Féin". National Review. 24 October 1994. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
29. Taylor, Peter (1997). Provos The IRA & Sinn Féin. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 201. ISBN 0-7475-3818-2.
30. Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-101041-X. Adams denies he was Chief of Staff at any time. "IRA Expert Ed Moloney to Speak On Campus Nov. 20", Boston Chronicle, 14 November 2002.
31. "IRA Expert Ed Moloney to Speak On Campus Nov. 20", Boston Chronicle, 14 November 2002.
32. Liam Clarke, "Garland arrested in US forgery hunt", Sunday Times, 9 October 2005.
33. "CIRA bomb adds to growing crisis in the peace process", Irish Examiner, 7 July 2000.