As the author of the only academic monograph on Noraid, or Irish Northern Aid to use the preferred term, I was cautiously optimistic when I heard news of a two-part documentary on the organisation scheduled for release in November 2024.
Although the release date was subsequently pushed back twice, it will now be aired on two Wednesdays in July, the 9th and 16th respectively on RTÉ. I was fortunate to view an advanced copy of the documentary and, thankfully, it does not disappoint.
Written and directed by Kevin Brannigan alongside producer Jamie Goldrick, this retelling of the complex story of INA and of their activities during the conflict in Northern Ireland is well worth the wait.
Brannigan also directed Kerr’s Kids, an excellent 2018 documentary about the former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr and the underage soccer success in major tournaments in the late 1990s that I thoroughly enjoyed as an avid soccer fan.
The main reason for anyone to check out the documentary is the excellent archival footage and old images that are featured throughout.
This is combined with firsthand accounts from former INA members, other activists, former FBI members and convicted gunrunners, providing an eclectic mix of characters, each with their own stories of how they got involved in political activism.
The point is made effectively throughout that there were all sorts of different people who joined INA, particularly in the aftermath of the 1981 Hunger Strikes. Despite attempts to label Irish American supporters of the Republican movement as "misguided" or "ignorant," the documentary illustrates that many were well versed on Irish history or were given the opportunity to see daily life in the Six Counties, often staying with a Nationalist family.
The first episode begins with images from an INA dinner dance, including a passionate speech from Michael Maye, former leader of the Irish American Labor Coalition and a regular speaker at such events.
Several INA members feature prominently in the episode, alongside others such as Bernadette McAliskey and Danny Morrison. These include Martin Galvin, longtime publicity director of INA and editor of the Irish People newspaper, John McDonagh, a radio host on WBAI in New York and briefly editor of the Irish People, and Michael Shanley, the youngest of the three and arguably most well-known for his arrest in January 1988 for protesting the visit of Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew.
Sensibly, the episode runs largely chronologically, charting the inception of INA coinciding with the formation of the Provisional IRA in late 1969 and early 1970. In its early days, INA consisted predominantly of Irish-born men who had participated in the Irish Revolution (1912-23) and immigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s.
Martin Lyons was an exception as a founding member who came to America in the 1950s but was a veteran and born in Galway. In its early days, the organisation worked out of a small office on East 194th Street in the Bronx. Bloody Sunday, the murder of fourteen innocent civilians in Derry by the British Parachute Regiment in January 1972, was the first event to push INA to a larger audience in the U.S. and significantly increase their fundraising capacity.
The death of Bobby Sands and his nine fellow hunger strikers in 1981 created international headlines but none more so than in the U.S. where INA were uniquely positioned from the 1980 Hunger Strike campaign to publicize this conflict to an American audience growing more concerned about events across the Atlantic.
The documentary shows the image on the front of the Irish People in response to Sands’ death, as well as footage of the protests that included a demonstration against the visit of Prince Charles to New York in June, 1981.
Episode Two focuses more on the gunrunning aspect of Irish American involvement in the conflict, featuring prominent participants such as John Crawley, author of "The Yank" and regular speaker at Republican commemorations, Pat Nee of South Boston and James "Whitey" Bulger fame.
It also includes an interview with FBI agent John Winslow speaking about the well-known New York trial involving Michael Flannery, George Harrison et al in 1982 that was a key moment in the history of INA.
The acquittal of Flannery and the four others was a pivotal victory for supporters in the U.S. coming off the back of the end of the hunger strikes the previous year. It also indirectly led to the nomination of Flannery as Grand Marshal of the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade in March 1983, a case study itself of the divergence of Irish America and the Dublin government, the latter of whom boycotted the parade.
The documentary concludes with a focus on the eventual granting of a visa for Gerry Adams to travel to the U.S. in early 1994, a key precursor to the ceasefire declaration by the Provisional IRA the following August.
Importantly, that campaign had started much earlier, with an increased interest by the Democratic Party in Irish affairs after the hunger strikes, initiated by people such as New York Assemblyman John Dearie. Both President Clinton and his opponent, Governor Jerry Brown, made commitments on an Adams visa and a special envoy in April 1992 at the Irish American Presidential Forum in Manhattan, and the former eventually followed through on these, playing a key role alongside Senator George Mitchell, in mediating later peace talks.
Overall, this documentary tells an important story and has great access to many of the key players involved with INA and in the Irish American community. It weaves a well-constructed narrative, including some comments from individuals which had not previously appeared on public record.
It continues the trend of a recent focus on INA and Irish America, seemingly prompted by the 2022 release of my book on the subject. On that note, if any readers wish to learn more about many of the topics discussed in the two-part series, my book is available online with a special 70% discount and shipping across Ireland, Europe and the United States.
It is available at https://www.fourcourtspress.ie/books/2022/noraid-and-the-northern-ireland-troubles-1970-94/reviews or by calling tel:+353 1 453 4668.
