The League of Communist Republicans (LCR) was a Marxist-Leninist and Irish republican micro-organisation that split from Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA in 1986. The league was almost exclusively made up of republican prisoners in HM Prison Maze (known also as “Long Kesh”) and their families; In total the membership was approximately 25 to 30 prisoners and a similar number of family members. Founding members included Tommy McKearney, Tom McFeely, James Tierney, Eugene Bryne and Oliver Corr.
The league broke away from the Sinn Féin/the PIRA for a number of reasons, such as the vote at the 1986 Sinn Féin Ardfheis to recognise the legitimacy of Dáil Éireann and to stand in elections in the Republic of Ireland. The league had also come to reject the Armalite and ballot box strategy and believed that the Provisional IRA needed to either return to a “ground war” against the British state or cease fighting altogether, rather than its strategy at that time of seldom but spectacular attacks. The members of the League believed that the “spectacular” attacks were too often botched, and too often resulted in the deaths of IRA members.
The league had little influence outside of HM Prison Maze, but it did produce a newspaper called Congress’86, which was named after the 1934 organisation, Republican Congress.
Congress ’86
Misc
All documents in this collection were donated by Stephen Coyle.
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