I was recently asked by a US historian with a fresh interest in Irish revolutionary politics if I could list for him the main parties and organisations in contemporary Ireland (and overseas) falling under the umbrella term of “republican“. Applying the definition at its broadest I came up with the names and relationships below (formal links between some individual bodies might not exist but they do co-operate or express sympathy with each other). There are several minor or unaligned groups and committees that I did not include and I’d be interested in what others think and what suggestions or changes they would make.

Immediately apparent, I think, is the fissiparous nature of Irish republicanism and the intense competition to control existing names and titles (and the perceived legitimacy they can bequeath). It is noteworthy that the same nomenclature is used over and over again, often by otherwise rival formations, which often confuses outside observers. Thus the…