What is certain though is that the deeds of the women who fought for Irish freedom were frequently overshadowed by the martial feats of their male counterparts. Women in the revolution (with a few notable exceptions mentioned above) were confined by their male comrades to a very strictly defined gendered and traditional role i.e. – signalling, delivering despatches, first aid work, cooking and cleaning. Some women succeeded in breaking this mould to provide vital support to the IRA’s campaign including intelligence work and the transporting of arms and explosives. Dramadoc about the 1974-75 Provisional IRA campaign in London, which culminated in the Balcombe Street siege. Below are a few books, both fiction and nonfiction, that dive into the history of this conflict, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century. While it’s a small starting point, having some understanding of the history of the area will provide a context to understanding current events. Frampton, Martyn (2009). The Long March: The Political Strategy of Sinn Féin, 1981-2007. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0230202177.

Hayes, Bernadette C.; McAllister, Ian (2005). "Public Support for Political Violence and Paramilitarism in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland". Terrorism and Political Violence. 17 (4): 599–617. doi: 10.1080/095465590944569. S2CID 331741. Cox, Michael; Guelke, Adrian; Stephen, Fiona (2006). A Farewell to Arms? Beyond the Good Friday Agreement. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719071157.The vote was a show of hands and the result is disputed. [54] It has been variously reported as twenty-eight votes to twelve, [51] or thirty-nine votes to twelve. [55] The official minutes state out of the forty-six delegates scheduled to attend, thirty-nine were in attendance, and the result of the second vote was twenty-seven votes to twelve. [53] In his new book, Thatcher’s Spy: My Life As An MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Fein, Carlin recounts a conversation at the height of the Troubles with McGuinness in which the leading republican explained the policy of non-aggression by the IRA in Scotland. Horgan, John (2013). Divided We Stand: The Strategy and Psychology of Ireland's Dissident Terrorists. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199772858. Usually, the IRA women cadres performed certain non-military roles, in which they exploited traditional stereotypes of gender. They used to hide and carry weapons, as the British soldiers were loath to body search women because of the tremendous public revulsion it would create.

Harding, Thomas (9 September 2002). "IRA's hardline faction gets a stronger voice". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 1 May 2020. Gillespie, Gordon (2009). The A to Z of the Northern Ireland Conflict. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810868823.Support for the IRA within nationalist communities and within the Republic of Ireland has fluctuated over the course of the conflict. In September 1979 the Economic and Social Research Institute conducted a wide-ranging survey of attitudes to the IRA in the Republic. Its findings showed that 20.7% broadly supported IRA activities, while 60.5% opposed them. Meanwhile, when respondents were asked whether they sympathised or rejected their motives, 44.8% of respondents expressed some level of sympathy with their motives while 33.5% broadly rejected them. [389] Libya: Extent of Gaddafi's financial support for IRA stunned British intelligence". Middle East Eye. 28 December 2021. See also: Provisional IRA in the Republic of Ireland and Provisional IRA arms importation 1,200 AKM assault rifles were donated by Muammar Gaddafi in the 1980s [330] Over two tonnes of the plastic explosive Semtex were donated by Muammar Gaddafi in the 1980s [330]