Coalition ruled out protest to Gadafy over arms for IRA

Relations with Libya: The Fine Gael-Labour Government decided against making any protest to Libya in 1973 over an interview …

Relations with Libya: The Fine Gael-Labour Government decided against making any protest to Libya in 1973 over an interview with the Paris-based newspaper Le Figaro in which Col Gadafy boasted about providing assistance to the IRA.

A Cabinet meeting on May 24th, 1973, decided it would "not be appropriate" to protest. It might only make matters worse and, besides, there was a possibility of securing Irish business contracts with Libya.

Three days before the meeting, the prominent republican Joe Cahill was sentenced to three years' penal servitude for trying to import arms and ammunition, apparently from Libya, on the Cypriot vessel Claudia. Subsequently, in the mid-1980s, it is estimated that over 100 tonnes of Libyan weapons were supplied to the IRA.

A note of the 1973 decision, headed "Protest to Libya about provision of arms to IRA", mentioned the following considerations: "A protest might spur Col Gadafy to provide further supplies; the IDA feel that they may succeed in interesting Libyans in investment here; Irish organisations are interested in contracts with the Libyan authorities;" and Libyan action was probably due to "misunderstanding by Col Gadafy of the position in Ireland".