These have been posted on the site before but the search feature on Lemmy at the moment is dogshit. Searching for ira returns everything for "piracy" and "iraq" and so on.
I would be able to find it if the search feature worked as it should but alas.
I'm specifically looking for stuff detailing organisation, practices, and overall function. But everything is fair game please.
For a primer on the original IRA I highly recommend Lorcan Collins' "Ireland's War of Independence: 1919-1921. The IRA's Guerilla Campaign". For a book on tactics I recommend the memoirs of Tom Barry the mastermind behind the Kilmichael Ambush; "Guerilla Days in Ireland". Barry would continue the fight after the Civil War including being one of the people the Nazis tried to speak to for an alliance. Regardless, he is a brilliant tactician and a vital figure.
I am less well versed in Provos, Lillies, and the Troubles writ large cause there are just so many books about them with so much bias to get through. If you want to find something pro-socialist and either from the IRA perspective or one in agreement with them, then try searching Connollybooks https://www.connollybooks.org/browse/cat4147703_3452462.aspx
Or at least see if they carry a book if you want to confirm.
One account I have had on my list for a while is Brendan Behan's memoir https://archive.org/details/confessionsofiri00beharich
The official Sinn Fein book store also has a ton of niche IRA books and diaries. Like if you want to know about the activities of the Official IRA circa the 80s in Galloway, they probably have a book about it specifically
I read One Man’s Terrorist which was comprehensive but also very dry
I've been meaning to finish "The Accidental Spy" by Sean O'Driscoll. The book is quite literally a limited hangout by the FBI. Or I guess just their official version of events.
The book is about an American who got involved with the IRA in the 80s and 90s and how he became an informant for the FBI and Br*tish intelligence. The man is still in FBI witness protection.
It's a fascinating look into how the feds operate. it gave pretty good insight into how the IRA was being run in the north west, and what glaring mistakes they made by trusting this guy so much.
