Thomas Leahy
Biographic Data
| ID | 3687779 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Thomas Leahy |
| GIVEN NAMES | Thomas |
| FAMILY NAME | Leahy |
| SIGNATURE | LEAHY T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Cardiff University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2046-3339 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The politics of abstentionism: Comparing Sinn Féin’s Westminster abstentionism to the Basque Nationalist Left’s engagement with the Spanish Parliament, 1979–2025
Irish Republicans and the Basque Nationalist Left have been close allies throughout conflict and peace. One previous commonality was that their left-wing political wings Sinn Féin and Batasuna refused to participate in the British or Spanish parliament. For over a century, Sinn Féin has abstained from Westminster. In contrast, a new Basque left group Euskal Herria Bildu (EH Bildu) decided to consistently take their seats in Madrid. Utilising vari…
Tactical use of armed struggle”: The IRA’s purpose in Irish Republican strategy, 1969–2005
Between 1969 and 1997, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought against British rule in Northern Ireland. Some scholars suggest Republicans saw the IRA as vital to achieving Irish unification. They argue that the IRA only ended their campaign because the organization faced a trajectory of decline by the 1990s. Others agree that the IRA was utilised by Republicans to achieve unity but conclude that the IRA faced a stalemate by the 1990s and accepted…
The Rocky Road to Decommissioning: Revisiting the Decommissioning of Irish Republican Army Weapons Part 1 – August 1994 to October 2001
Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons formed a crucial part of Northern Ireland’s peace process. But the decommissioning of Irish Republican Army (IRA) weapons (the most prominent paramilitary group) was protracted prior to their first decommissioning act in October 2001. Some scholars argue Republicans deliberately strung-out decommissioning to gain concessions. Others concur but also suggest additional factors, including Irish Republican ange…
Encountering research in Northern Ireland
As Northern Ireland marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, the political afterlife of the conflict persists in affecting the everyday lives of communities, kept alive through individual and institutional memories and stories. With state archives continuing to be released and living actors in the conflict still available to interview, they offer opportunities and challenges for researchers trying to understand the Troubles to n…
The ‘Unforgivable’: Irish Republican Army (IRA) informers and dealing with Northern Ireland conflict legacy, 1969-2021
e d fo r p u blic a tio n. Cit a tio n fo r fin al p u blis h e d ve r sio n: Willia m s , El e a n o r Le a h a n d Le a hy, Tho m a s 2 0 2 3. Th e 'U nfo r giv a bl e'?: Iris h R e p u blic a n Ar my (IRA) info r m e r s a n d d e ali n g wi t h N o r t h e r n Ir el a n d c o nflic t le g a cy, 1 9 6 9-2 0 2 1. I n t ellig e n c e a n d N a tio n al S e c u ri ty 3 8 (3) , p p . 4 7 0-4 9 0. 1 0 . 1 0 8 0/ 0 2 6 8 4 5 2 7. 2 0 2 2. 2 1 0 4 0 …
The politics of Troubles memories in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, 1998 to 2018
This article explores the reasons for persistent memory wars surrounding the Northern Ireland conflict in Irish and Northern Irish politics between the leading political groups including Sinn Féin, political unionism, the Irish and British governments. I expand on existing literature on commemoration and memory in Northern Ireland to explain how constitutional, political, communal, personal, moral and generational factors together encourage confl…
Bombs, bullets and the border: Policing Ireland’s frontier: Irish security policy 1969–1978
The Influence of Informers and Agents on Provisional Irish Republican Army Military Strategy and British Counter-Insurgency Strategy, 1976-94
This article investigates the impact of British informers and agents on Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) military strategy and British counter-insurgency strategy in Northern Ireland between 1976 and 1994. The importance of this topic was highlighted by revelations in 2003 and 2005 concerning two senior republicans who had both been working for British intelligence for decades. While acknowledging other important factors, various authors b…
Bombs, bullets and the border: Policing Ireland’s frontier: Irish security policy 1969–1978
The Influence of Informers and Agents on Provisional Irish Republican Army Military Strategy and British Counter-Insurgency Strategy, 1976-94
This article investigates the impact of British informers and agents on Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) military strategy and British counter-insurgency strategy in Northern Ireland between 1976 and 1994. The importance of this topic was highlighted by revelations in 2003 and 2005 concerning two senior republicans who had both been working for British intelligence for decades. While acknowledging other important factors, various authors b…
The politics of Troubles memories in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, 1998 to 2018
This article explores the reasons for persistent memory wars surrounding the Northern Ireland conflict in Irish and Northern Irish politics between the leading political groups including Sinn Féin, political unionism, the Irish and British governments. I expand on existing literature on commemoration and memory in Northern Ireland to explain how constitutional, political, communal, personal, moral and generational factors together encourage confl…
Encountering research in Northern Ireland
As Northern Ireland marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, the political afterlife of the conflict persists in affecting the everyday lives of communities, kept alive through individual and institutional memories and stories. With state archives continuing to be released and living actors in the conflict still available to interview, they offer opportunities and challenges for researchers trying to understand the Troubles to n…
Tactical use of armed struggle”: The IRA’s purpose in Irish Republican strategy, 1969–2005
Between 1969 and 1997, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought against British rule in Northern Ireland. Some scholars suggest Republicans saw the IRA as vital to achieving Irish unification. They argue that the IRA only ended their campaign because the organization faced a trajectory of decline by the 1990s. Others agree that the IRA was utilised by Republicans to achieve unity but conclude that the IRA faced a stalemate by the 1990s and accepted…
The Rocky Road to Decommissioning: Revisiting the Decommissioning of Irish Republican Army Weapons Part 1 – August 1994 to October 2001
Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons formed a crucial part of Northern Ireland’s peace process. But the decommissioning of Irish Republican Army (IRA) weapons (the most prominent paramilitary group) was protracted prior to their first decommissioning act in October 2001. Some scholars argue Republicans deliberately strung-out decommissioning to gain concessions. Others concur but also suggest additional factors, including Irish Republican ange…
The Influence of Informers and Agents on Provisional Irish Republican Army Military Strategy and British Counter-Insurgency Strategy, 1976-94
This article investigates the impact of British informers and agents on Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) military strategy and British counter-insurgency strategy in Northern Ireland between 1976 and 1994. The importance of this topic was highlighted by revelations in 2003 and 2005 concerning two senior republicans who had both been working for British intelligence for decades. While acknowledging other important factors, various authors b…
The politics of Troubles memories in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, 1998 to 2018
This article explores the reasons for persistent memory wars surrounding the Northern Ireland conflict in Irish and Northern Irish politics between the leading political groups including Sinn Féin, political unionism, the Irish and British governments. I expand on existing literature on commemoration and memory in Northern Ireland to explain how constitutional, political, communal, personal, moral and generational factors together encourage confl…
Bombs, bullets and the border: Policing Ireland’s frontier: Irish security policy 1969–1978
The ‘Unforgivable’: Irish Republican Army (IRA) informers and dealing with Northern Ireland conflict legacy, 1969-2021
e d fo r p u blic a tio n. Cit a tio n fo r fin al p u blis h e d ve r sio n: Willia m s , El e a n o r Le a h a n d Le a hy, Tho m a s 2 0 2 3. Th e 'U nfo r giv a bl e'?: Iris h R e p u blic a n Ar my (IRA) info r m e r s a n d d e ali n g wi t h N o r t h e r n Ir el a n d c o nflic t le g a cy, 1 9 6 9-2 0 2 1. I n t ellig e n c e a n d N a tio n al S e c u ri ty 3 8 (3) , p p . 4 7 0-4 9 0. 1 0 . 1 0 8 0/ 0 2 6 8 4 5 2 7. 2 0 2 2. 2 1 0 4 0 …
Tactical use of armed struggle”: The IRA’s purpose in Irish Republican strategy, 1969–2005
Between 1969 and 1997, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought against British rule in Northern Ireland. Some scholars suggest Republicans saw the IRA as vital to achieving Irish unification. They argue that the IRA only ended their campaign because the organization faced a trajectory of decline by the 1990s. Others agree that the IRA was utilised by Republicans to achieve unity but conclude that the IRA faced a stalemate by the 1990s and accepted…
The Rocky Road to Decommissioning: Revisiting the Decommissioning of Irish Republican Army Weapons Part 1 – August 1994 to October 2001
Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons formed a crucial part of Northern Ireland’s peace process. But the decommissioning of Irish Republican Army (IRA) weapons (the most prominent paramilitary group) was protracted prior to their first decommissioning act in October 2001. Some scholars argue Republicans deliberately strung-out decommissioning to gain concessions. Others concur but also suggest additional factors, including Irish Republican ange…
Encountering research in Northern Ireland
As Northern Ireland marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, the political afterlife of the conflict persists in affecting the everyday lives of communities, kept alive through individual and institutional memories and stories. With state archives continuing to be released and living actors in the conflict still available to interview, they offer opportunities and challenges for researchers trying to understand the Troubles to n…
The politics of abstentionism: Comparing Sinn Féin’s Westminster abstentionism to the Basque Nationalist Left’s engagement with the Spanish Parliament, 1979–2025
Irish Republicans and the Basque Nationalist Left have been close allies throughout conflict and peace. One previous commonality was that their left-wing political wings Sinn Féin and Batasuna refused to participate in the British or Spanish parliament. For over a century, Sinn Féin has abstained from Westminster. In contrast, a new Basque left group Euskal Herria Bildu (EH Bildu) decided to consistently take their seats in Madrid. Utilising vari…
Irish (7 works) · Irish and British Studies (7 works) · Politics (6 works) · Political science (4 works) · Ethnology (3 works) · Government (linguistics (3 works) · Law (3 works) · Northern ireland (3 works) · Peacebuilding and International Security (3 works) · Sociology (3 works)