IRA Quartermaster General explained

The IRA Quartermaster General (QMG) oversaw the acquisition, concealment and maintenance of weaponry for the Irish Republican Army since its foundation in 1919. His department worked closely with the Engineering in the development of weapons.

A number of people held the post of IRA QMG. In 1997, the then QMG, Michael McKevitt, broke away from the Provisional IRA to form the Real IRA, taking weaponry to his breakaway organisation.

List of Quartermasters General of the Irish Republican Army (1917–1922)

No.	Name	Assumed position	Left position	Source
	Michael Staines	1917	March 1920	^[1]
	Fintan Murphy	March 1920	December 1920	^[2]
	Seán MacMahon	December 1920	February 1922	^[3]

List of Quartermasters Generals of the (anti-Treaty) Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)

• Liam Mellows, 1922
• Sean O'Muirthile, 1923-1924
• Andrew Cooney, July 1924 – 1925^[4]
• F. Cronin?
• Seán Russell, 1927-1936^[5]
• Mick Fitzpatrick, 1936-1937^[6]
• James Hannegan, from 1937^[7]
• Charlie McGlade, from 1941^[8]
• Harry White, 1942-1943^[9]
• Archie Doyle, 1940s^[10]
• Larry Grogan, from c. 1950^[11]
• Cathal Goulding, 1959-1962^[12]
• Mick Ryan, from 1962
  (also first QMG of the Official IRA from 1969)^[13]
• Prior, to 1966^[12]
• Jimmy Quigley, from 1966^[14]
• Pat Regan, late 1960s^[15]

List of Quartermasters Generals of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (1969–2005)

• Dáithí Ó Conaill, 1969^[16]
• Jack McCabe, 1969-1971^[17]
• Denis McInerney, 1971-1972^[18]
• Patrick Ryan, 1972-1973^[18]
• Brian Keenan, from 1973^[18]
• Frank Hegarty, 1980s^[19]
• Kevin Hannaway, to 1985^[20]
• Michael McKevitt, 1985-1997^{[20] [21]}

See also

• Irish Republican Army
• Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army
• IRA Director of Intelligence

References

Sources

• Book: Bell . J. Bowyer . The Secret Army: The IRA . 2017 . Routledge . 978-1-351-47445-0 . 8 May 2020 . en.
• Book: MacEoin, Uinseann . The IRA in the twilight years: 1923–1948 . 9780951117248 . Argenta . Dublin . 1997 . Irish Military Archives . 8 May 2020 .
• Book: Moloney . Ed . A Secret History of the IRA . 2002 . Penguin Books. 0-14-101041-X . en.
• Book: Treacy . Matt . The IRA 1956–69: Rethinking the Republic . 2013 . Manchester University Press . 978-1-84779-417-8 . 8 May 2020 . subscription . . English.

Citations

Notes and References

1. "Free state senate by-election", Irish Times, 25 July 1929
2. Military Service Pension file of Fintan Murphy (MSP34REF11815) Pages 12-13 of application form. Available at http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/search.aspx
3. Military Service Pension file of Sean MacMahon (24SP5162). Available at http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/search.aspx
4. Dictionary of Irish Biography entry for Andrew Cooney, https://dib.cambridge.org/viewReadPage.do?articleId=a2009&searchClicked=clicked&quickadvsearch=yes
5. James Gillogly, Decoding the IRA, pp.7-8
6. MacEoin 2007 p.17
7. Bell 2007 p.137
8. Richard English, Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA, p.56
9. Bell 2007 pp.229-230
10. MacEoin 2007 p.452
11. Bell 2007 pp.240-248
12. Treacy 2013 p.11
13. Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party
14. Treacy 2013 p.89
15. Treacy 2013 p.167
16. Moloney 2002 p.78
17. Treacy 2013 p.108
18. Moloney 2002 p. 137
19. Liam Clarke, "Half of all top IRA men 'worked for security services'", Belfast Telegraph, 21 December 2011
20. Moloney 2002 p. 384
21. Andrew Sanders, Inside the IRA: Dissident Republicans and the War for Legitimacy, p.209