Sinn Fein was founded in l905 by Arthur Griffith as a political party. At the time, Ireland was occupied by Britain and ruled directly from London. Sinn Fein did not advocate the use of force; its goal was to establish an independent parliament for Ireland.
The IRA did not come into existence until over a decade later.
On Easter Monday, 1916, there was an armed revolution by two groups, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, against the British Army and government. It was defeated and its leaders executed after military courts-martial. After that, the modern IRA evolved from remnants of those groups, and began to use guerrilla warfare against the British Army in 1919.
After 1916, the mood of the country changed due to the executions and the threat of forced conscription of Irishmen into the British army.
Sinn Fein went before the electorate in 1918 with a manifesto that stated that it's candidates, if elected, would refuse to take their seats at Westminster, and if it received a majority, it would declare an independent Irish Republic with no connection with England.
At the general election of November 1918, Sinn Fein won over 73 of the 105 seats for all of Ireland, including the present "Northern Ireland", as Ireland was not partitioned at that time.
On January 21, 1919, Sinn Fein met and declared an independent Irish Republic, established a legislative branch, Dail Eireann, and formed an executive. It governed for three years as a de facto government, not a provisional one, establishing courts, etc., to replace the colonial government.
On August 20, 1921, the Dail recognized the Irish Volunteers as a standing army, and to bring the IRA under civilian control, ordered army members to take an oath to the Republic and to the Dail as its government.
In May 1921, the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd-George admitted, "Two-thirds of the population of Ireland demand the setting up of an Irish Republic on that island. At a recent election, they reaffirmed that demand. Every effort I have made publicly and otherwise to secure a modification of that demand has failed. They have emphatically stated they will agree to nothing else."
A cease fire was declared in June l921.
In October 1921 peace talks began. Suddenly in December l921 the British delegation threatened "immediate and terrible war" against the Irish people unless the Irish delegates signed an agreement dividing Ireland up into the six counties of "Northern Ireland" and the 26 counties of the Irish "Free State". The delegates signed under duress to avoid a bloodbath.
Two unelected provisional governments were established.
The Irish people, including the unionists, were never permitted to vote on the agreement, the partition of Ireland, or the constitution of the Free State.*
The Dail ceased to function after August l922 and all civilian authority over the IRA went with it. The IRA became a secret, closed, self-governing organization. It went underground and remains so today.
Sinn Fein remained a political party opposed to British occupation, advocating restoration of the Republic, and opposed to the provisional government (Free State).
The provisional Free State government did everything to prevent democratic participation by Sinn Fein, including carrying out executions.
In 1949, the Free State declared itself the "Republic" of Ireland.
After a limited campaign (1956-61) against the British Army in the 6 counties ("Northern Ireland"), the IRA dumped arms. In 1967 it sent almost all of its arms out of the country. By 1969, it had all but ceased to exist.
Yet Sinn Fein remained intact as a political party, despite the banning of it's newspapers, etc. in the northern six counties, and harassment by the police and government in the southern 26 counties.
Following sectarian rioting against civil rights workers in the 6 counties ("Northern Ireland") in 1969, the police and the British Army "security forces" started opening fire on civil rights demonstrations, and this brought about the "rebirth" of the IRA.
Censorship laws were passed in the 26 counties in the 1970's and remained in effect until 1994, preventing Sinn Fein from telling its story and its candidates from being interviewed. Britain, to this day, maintains the Official Secrets Act, whereby the government can muzzle the press even in peace time. And the British press and government remain the major sources for the American media.
In 1984, Sinn Fein delegates to the annual convention "split" into Republican Sinn Fein and Provisional Sinn Fein, yet there was no corresponding split in the IRA. Which begs the question, if Sinn Fein were the "political wing" of the IRA, how can there be two separate Sinn Fein organizations, yet only one IRA? (A few in the IRA did split off 10 years later, but for totally different reasons.)
*It has been written and said that a "majority" in the 26 counties voted "for the treaty". This never actually occured; the people were never permitted any kind of referendum until 1998, and the 1937 revised Free State constitution only recieved a 33% "yes" vote.
IRISH HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Miontuairisc An Chead Dala Dail Eireann Minutes of Proceedings Official Record 1919-1921
The Secret Army J Bowyer-Bell 1997
The Irish Republic Dorothy Macardle 1965
The Irish Troubles J. Bowyer-Bell 1993
The Story of the Irish Race Seamus MacManus 1980
Micheal Collins and the Making of a New Ireland Piaras Beaslai 1926
The Drama of Sinn Fein Shaw Desmond 1923
The IRA Tim Pat Coogan 1993
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