By Edward Maxwell
Unionist Voice can exclusively reveal the existence of a secret office deep within the Sinn Fein centre on the Falls Road. This office is known within IRA circles as the ‘Army Hub’ or the ‘Foreign Office’. It is from within this office that the IRA exert strategic control over Sinn Fein.
This secret office has for many years been the centre of Sinn Fein’s links to the IRA. When Sinn Fein needed approval from the IRA they simply had to knock on the door of the office contained within their own flagship centre on the Falls Road.
The Sinn Fein centre from the outside is simply the hub of the party’s political operations. It is however somewhat different from normal legitimate political offices given that it is covered in memorials to convicted IRA terrorists. The wall outside the building is dedicated to IRA terrorist Bobby Sands.
On the ground floor of the building there are 3 separate offices. A constituency advice centre, a reception and a shop selling various IRA propaganda materials and conflict related memorabilia.
On the 2nd floor there is a ‘International Department’ office, which deals with foreign terrorist organisations, there is a small meeting room and then what is known as the ‘6 county office’.
Next door to the ‘6 county office’ there is another office that acts as a link to Gerry Adams. This was previously staffed by the now deceased Siobhan O’Hanlon and Paula McManus, who is known to have been close to current IRA Chief of Staff Martin Lynch. Beside this a personal office for Gerry Adams.
There is then a vacant space and at the very back of the building resides a hidden office which IRA members referred to as the ‘Army Hub’. It is from this small office that the IRA exercised strategic control over Sinn Fein and continue to do so until this very day.
It was within this secretive office in 1998 that the IRA/SF strategy document to ‘Fracture Unionism’ was constructed. It further served as the link between Sinn Fein and the IRA and acted as a back channel for secret talks with the British and Irish Government.
In the late 1990’s this office was staffed by Ted Howell, Seanna Walsh and Sile Darragh. It is currently the hub for the IRA Army Council representatives Sean Murray, Bobby Storey and Martin Lynch.
It is the aforementioned terror trio that are currently overseeing the Sinn Fein talks process on behalf of the IRA Army Council. These representatives from the ‘Army Hub’ have a veto over all strategic Sinn Fein decisions.
The existence of this ‘Army Hub’ further illustrates the links between Sinn Fein and the IRA that exist until this very day, and indeed continue to cast a sinister shadow of the talks process and Sinn Fein’s political demands.