On this episode we are joined by Dr. Brian Hanley to discuss Republicans and Crime. We look at the law and order situations in Ireland before the revolutionary period and how the War of Independence meant that the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police were unable to maintain law and order as the war progressed. As police barracks were abandoned or destroyed the Republican Movement aimed to fill the gap with the Irish Republican Police. We look at the rise of armed crime, particularly bank robberies, and how long before relatively normal conditions returned to the country.
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