Introduction

266
Melanie Swiatloch
about them: “My initial deep surprise faded. ‘They’ve had plenty of ceasefires
before.’” The Troubles had only been the most recent outbreak of violence. Violence
itself has been an element of Irish political life for much longer. Jake’s
doubts are definitely justified. Why should the ceasefires of 1994 have been the
ultimate end?
It is interesting to take a short look on the motives of paramilitary groups at
this point. Both republican and loyalist paramilitaries saw themselves not as criminals
but as defenders of their political aims. Hence, republican violence in their
view was legitimised by the constitution of the Irish Republic and that of loyalists
by the British government (ibid. 161). Republicans also referred to the Palestine
Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the African National Congress (ANC) in order
to support their arguments for a legitimate fight for freedom and a united
Ireland (ibid. 162). Supporters of a united Ireland faced protectors of the union.
The British government in contrast considered all paramilitary factions as being
terrorist groups and proscribed their existence (ibid. 160). To fund paramilitary
actions, however, it was unavoidable to engage in criminal activities such as armed
robberies or racketeering (ibid. 161).
Both Caldwell and Madden refer to members of paramilitary groups in their
novels. The point of perception is a critical one, though. At the age of 16 Saoirse
is dating Johnny Mahon whose “uncles from Derry are in the Maze prison 38 up
North doing short sentences for possession of firearms and suspected paramilitary
involvement” (Caldwell 93). For that reason her aunt Bernadette does not want to
get Saoirse involved with him (which she as a teenager of course does nevertheless).
However, Johnny uses her only as an alibi for his illegal paramilitary activities
when he asks her to lie about them having been to the cinema (ibid. 97). He and
three of his companions finally get arrested for having stored weapons and ammonium
nitrate in a nearby barn and for being suspected in paramilitary involvement
with the “Provos” 39 (ibid. 159ff).
38 Maze prison, officially named Her Majesty’s Prison, and referred to as Long Kesh or just “the
Kesh” by both loyalists and republicans, was located near Belfast outside the city of Lisburn.
Opened in 1971 with the introduction of internment, it became a symbol for the division of
Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Since 1976 the most dreaded paramilitary activists were
housed here in the so-called H blocks until the endorsement of the Good Friday Agreement.
Around 430 prisoners were released early on license then. In 1980/81 the famous hunger strikes
were carried out in Maze prison. Finally, “in September 2000 the last four prisoners were transferred
and the prison closed” (Gillespie 158-159).
39 Provisional Irish Republican Army: A faction that developed out of the split with the IRA in
1969. Whereas the official wing eschewed violence after 1972, the Provisionals believed that
violence was the only way to achieve their goals. The IRA’s tradition of physical force can be
traced back to Wolfe Tone’s revolutionary movement of 1798 and to the Irish Republican
Brotherhood (IRB) of 1858. While the IRB acted secretly, the Irish Volunteers, a Nationalist paramilitary
body, were established in 1912 to support openly the cause of Irish Home Rule.
When the IRB took control over the Irish Volunteers, the IRA was formed, which proclaimed