IRA Informers

This article aims to close the gaps in research of the use of informers in context of conflict and political violence, through the knowledge of IRA informers during the struggle in Northern Ireland. He outlines the main informer ‘models’ that can be applied to other conflict and transitional societies outside of the ‘Troubles.’ The focus of the article is the state’s actions in using informers or ‘supergrass’ and the negative effects of this on society as a whole. Ron Dudai puts forward the idea that this topic is lacking in the criminological research department, he says that ‘little has been written on the issue’ of the police using informers during a violent conflict. He does take into consideration that there is a decent amount of literature

Dudai strives to connect criminology, conflict and transformation of Northern Ireland, along with focus upon the long term effects of informers on a ‘transitional’ society. His argument is that long term effects on society have much more impact in the case of political conflict and have been neglected in the sense of conflict resolution, transitional justice and even criminological literature. This is a valid argument as despite the announcement of the end of the IRA’s ‘armed struggle’ in 2005, there is still an essence of the violent past today as seen from the art on the walls of well-known pubs in Derry which still symbolically highlight what had been lost as an outcome of the conflict. Dudai notably points out the ‘culture of suspicion’ where intense hostility towards informers in their community occurred and still does as a memory of the conflict-era showing that the transition to peace time has not fully transpired. He uses the example of Eamon Collins, an ex IRA who turned his back on the paramilitary group in late 1980’s and as a result was stabbed to death in

The worst Dudai calls the IRA in the article is ‘unlawful’ and ‘infamous’ in the conclusion. Nevertheless, the article implements that the negative effects on society during the conflict was due to use of informers used by the British state and so its clearly stated that Dudai is unsympathetic towards them. In regards to his opinions on the IRA he talks about practicality largely without emotion, you do not get a sense of his moral objection to the IRA’s action towards informers or the IRA as a