© W. H. Kautt, 2003 Militarising Policemen The various members of the RIC and their response to IRA violence in Ireland, 1919–21 W.H. Kautt Since September 11th the United States has undergone fundamental changes in its view of the world. However, contrary to political rhetoric, the global war on terrorism is not the first such war, nor is it likely to be the last. The country with probably the greatest experience fighting terror is the United Kingdom. Shortly after the beginning of the last century Britain was engaged in fighting the IRA 1 amongst others, in a terror war. The Irish example provides a number of ‘firsts’: the first counter-terror war of the twentieth century 2 , the first successful guerrilla/terror war of that century, and the first formal counter-insurgency training. Indeed Ireland was the first ‘colony’ of the last century to gain its independence from the ‘colo- nising’ power. 3 For these reasons, and because Ireland served as a model for many later such movements and counterinsurgencies, 4 examining the British response to the war proves useful. In Ireland, the most common, the most visible representative of government and primary enforcer of British rule was the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), and as such, they were the natural recipients of the IRA’s wrath. On their part, the government refused to provide concrete policy and deliberately used the RIC to spearhead the government’s reaction. This decision, based on their experiences prior to the World War, remained unchanged to the end of the Irish conflict and was the genesis of the other disastrous deci- sions that fostered the IRA success. Ireland was seemingly in a constant state of struggle, so to maintain law and order, the Irish Con- stabulary Act of 1836 created an all-Irish national police force. 5 The constables enjoyed a prestigious po- sition and were well regarded despite being armed; a singular requirement in the UK. Respected for their competency, which was based on training and examinations; they were Irish, thus having local knowledge that few outsiders could get; and a reputation for being tough, but fair. Further, the Constabulary offered good pay and some upward mobility. The RIC were stationed in barracks peppered through towns and villages. Their primary function was to fight ‘ordinary’ crime, but they were able to prevent political vio- lence. The war officially started on 21 January 1919 alongside a road near the Soloheadbeg quarry in Co. Tipperary when a group of Irish rebels seized a wagonload of explosives, killing two constables es- corting it. 6 The rest of 1919 was marked by IRA raids for arms and increasingly violent attacks on RIC barracks throughout Ireland. 7 1 Also called the ‘Irish Volunteers’. 2 Just where the actions of the IRA belong on the unconventional warfare spectrum is quite contentious for academic, military and political rea- sons, but for the purposes of this essay, one should recognise that terrorism was common in Ireland during this era. 3 Both the Second Anglo-Boer War and the Philippine Insurrection began in the 19th century and neither was really a counter-terror war. 4 There were connexions between the IRA and the New Violence Party in India under control of Subhas Chandra Bose in terms of rhetoric. Of more significant was the connection with the Irgun Zvei Leumi under control of Vladimir Jabotinsky in the mid-1930s through Jewish IRA mem- ber Robert Briscoe, who was also arms dealing in Germany for Collins, who taught Jabotinsky ‘ “the methods we had found so effective in the guerrilla war” ’ in Ireland. He taught the Irgun how to exploit British weaknesses. When Jabotinsky died in 1940, Menachem Begin took over, but their ‘training pamphlets issued in 1947 included a study of the Irish independence struggle. He fought a similar struggle against the British as the IRA had (Selth ‘Ireland and Insurgency’, pp. 302–4). 5 Herlihy, The Royal Irish Constabulary, pp. 48–60. The ‘Royal’ was added to the Constabulary 6.9.1867 for excellent service. 6 Statement of Seamus Robinson (National Library of Ireland [hereafter NLI] MS 21265, pp.21–5, Statement of Sean Fitzpatrick (NLI MS 18567) and Kee, Ourselves Alone, p. 58. See, also RIC I-G Report for January 1919 for Co. Tipperary, S.R. (PRO CO 904/108), An t-Oglac, 10.21919, Vol. 1, No.10, and Herligy, The Royal Irish Constabulary. 7 See, RIC Inspector-General Monthly Confidential Reports for 1919 in general (PRO CO904/108–110).