Gerry Adams, long the most prominent Republican politician of Northern Ireland’s Troubles era, told a London High Court on Tuesday that he was never a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was giving evidence in a civil case brought by three people injured in separate bombings who say he was ultimately responsible for IRA attacks in England.
Asked by the claimants’ lawyer, Max Hill, whether he would discuss any alleged involvement in the IRA as part of a truth and reconciliation process, Adams replied: “I can’t talk about my involvement in the IRA because I was never involved.” Entering court, he also wished the judge “a very happy St Patrick’s Day.” Adams is now 77.
Why the claimants say Adams was involved
The claimants seek a civil finding, on the balance of probabilities, that Adams was personally liable for bombings as a senior IRA figure and later as a member of its Army Council. The three incidents cited in the suit are the 1973 attack on London’s Old Bailey—the IRA’s first mainland strike—and two 1996 blasts, one in Manchester and another in London.
Adams led Sinn Féin, long regarded by many as the IRA’s political wing, and became the best-known public face of Republican efforts to end British rule in Northern Ireland. He has repeatedly faced accusations, including from some former IRA members, that he was a member of the Provisional IRA; he has consistently denied those claims.
What Adams told the court about the IRA and its actions
In his testimony Adams said he never belonged to the paramilitary organisation he politically represented. He acknowledged that at times he had defended some IRA actions on principle, arguing that people have a right to resist occupation, and drew comparisons with Palestinians and Ukrainians. Claimants’ counsel Max Hill suggested Adams’ expressed support amounted to standing by the IRA because he was a member. Adams replied that he did not “stand by everything the IRA did,” described some actions as “dastardly things” that should not have been done, and said he regarded many of those involved as his neighbours. He added he was glad the IRA had “left the stage” and that there had been no further killings since.
Background: the Troubles and the Good Friday Agreement
“The Troubles” refers to the largely sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland between mainly Catholic Republicans, who sought an end to union with Britain and a united Ireland, and mainly Protestant Unionists, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. Republican paramilitaries, most notably the IRA, and British security forces were central participants. From the 1970s through the 1990s the IRA carried out attacks on the British mainland, including in London and other English cities. More than 3,600 people were killed during the Troubles.
Adams became president of Sinn Féin in 1983. He served as a UK MP at intervals between 1983 and 2011 but, following party policy, did not take his seat in Westminster. He later served in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, where Sinn Féin is now the largest party. Adams stepped down as party president in 2018 and retired from active politics in 2020.
He was one of the key Republican negotiators of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the accord between the UK and Irish governments and most Northern Irish parties that helped reduce violence and established power-sharing arrangements at Stormont, citizenship rights for Northern Irish residents, and a framework for a future referendum on Irish unity if it became the majority wish.
The civil trial in London will determine whether the court finds, on the balance of probabilities, that Adams bore responsibility for the attacks cited by the claimants.