Boston College Oral History Project Subpoenaed by UK Authorities

Strategic Insights -

As the war in Northern Ireland drew to a close in the late 1990s, two interviewers, working for an oral history project at Boston College, collected memories of the conflict from paramilitary fighters involved in some of the era's most violent episodes. The interviewers, armed with a digital minidisk recorder and a promise of confidentiality, secured candid testimonies from individuals who were assured that the contents would remain sealed until they were dead. However, authorities in the United Kingdom have now sought to access these oral histories, subpoenaing the materials for an investigation into murders and kidnappings committed nearly 40 years ago.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Boston College oral history project collected 30 to 50 oral histories from republicans and paramilitaries loyal to the British Crown, many of whom used violence in hopes of winning their side of the argument over Britain's role in Ireland.
  • The subpoena seeks the accounts of two former republican soldiers who accused Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, of running a secret cell within the I.R.A. that carried out kidnappings and disappearances.
  • Brendan Hughes, a former I.R.A. member who died in 2008, had portions of his history published in "Voices From the Grave" and included in a film of the same name by Patrick Farrelly, Kate O'Callaghan, and Ed Moloney.
  • Delours Price, once an ally of Gerry Adams, also had an oral history conducted by the project, which has not been made public.
  • The inquiry appears to be aimed at possible criminality by republicans, not loyalists.
  • Boston College has not yet decided how to respond to the subpoena, and college lawyers are trying to learn more about who issued it and why.
  • The subpoena has raised concerns about the confidentiality of oral history projects, with archivists praising the Columbia University oral history research office for advising interview subjects that their statements may be subject to release under court orders.

Statistics:

  • The oral history project at Boston College collected 30 to 50 testimonies from paramilitary fighters.
  • The project has amassed volumes of secret materials on Northern Ireland, including the papers of an international commission that oversaw the destruction of paramilitary arms dumps.
  • The arms dump papers are sealed for 30 years.
  • At least nine people in Northern Ireland disappeared during the early 1970s, thought to have been informants for British authorities about the activities of republicans.
  • The project's interviewer, Anthony McIntyre, a former I.R.A. member, has a doctorate in history and has expressed concerns that compliance with the subpoena would imperil frankness from paramilitaries.

Sources:

  • Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn
  • Rita O'Hare, spokeswoman for Sinn Fein
  • Ed Moloney, author of "Voices From the Grave"
  • Patrick Farrelly, Kate O'Callaghan, and Ed Moloney, filmmakers of "Voices From the Grave"
  • Mary Marshall Clark, director of the oral history research office at Columbia University
  • Anthony McIntyre, interviewer and former I.R.A. member
  • John J. Burns Library, Boston College
  • Center for Irish Programs, Boston College