Óglaigh na hÉireann (Irish pronunciation: [ˈoːɡɫ̪iː n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ] (
listen)), abbreviated ÓnaÉ, is an Irish language idiom meaning Soldiers of Ireland.[1] It originates with the Irish Volunteers movement of the 1910s.[2] It has been used by various armed groups in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, including the Irish Defence Forces and several groups calling themselves the Irish Republican Army. A literal translation of Soldiers of Ireland is Saighdiúirí na hÉireann.
Since 1922, it has been the official title in the Irish language for the Irish Defence Forces,[3] which are recognised by the Irish Government as the only legitimate armed forces of the independent state on the island of Ireland.[4]
The name has also been used by several other groups that have claimed the name Irish Republican Army since 1922. Such groups have variously refused to recognise the legitimacy of the Irish Defence Forces, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. These include the Provisional IRA, the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA. In February 2006, the Independent Monitoring Commission reported that a new dissident republican group styling itself simply Óglaigh na hÉireann had been formed after a split from the Continuity IRA. All these groups claim to be the sole legitimate descendant of the original Irish Volunteers and Irish Republican Army. Thus they also claim the sole right to use the name Óglaigh na hÉireann. Some members of the Irish Government, including Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea, have objected to this use of the title by groups other than the Irish Defence Forces.[5] the Defence Acts 1954 to 1998 provide that no body other than the Irish Defence Forces may legally use the name.[6]
In mainstream Irish-language media, the republican paramilitary organisations are commonly referred to by the English-language abbreviation IRA rather than Óglaigh na hÉireann.[7]
Notes
- ^ A Pictorial History of Óglaigh na hÉireann, the Defense Forces of Ireland, Irish Defense Forces
- ^ Richard English, 2003, Armed struggle: the history of the IRA, Oxford University Press: Oxford
- ^ Arm - Óglaigh na hÉireann — use on the official website of the Irish Defence Forces, retrieved 29 November 2006.
- ^ From 1922 to 1937, this state was the Irish Free State, and since 1937 was Ireland or Éire. The Irish Government passed an act in 1948 under which the name Republic of Ireland can also be used in English-language legal documents as a description of the state.
- ^ Ireland Department of Defence (22 February 2005). "Speech by the Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea at the Opening of the New Military Museum and the Refurbished Privates’ Mess, Collins Barracks, Cork". Press release. http://www.defence.ie/website.nsf/0/2d1f811a44be973a80256fb00051c1bc?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
- ^ [1]
- ^ For example [2] [3] RTÉ News 14 August 2001 [4] [5] [6]
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