The Irish Republican Association of South Africa, 1920–2: a reappraisal

Abstract This article offers a reappraisal of the largest Irish organisation in South African history: the Irish Republican Association of South Africa (IRASA). It draws upon previously unexplored associational material and personal correspondence to shine new light upon the group’s origin, its ideological makeup and, ultimately, its shocking collapse in the summer of 1922. It argues that although the IRASA enjoyed significant early success — especially within a South African context — from the outset it had been set upon an unstable foundation and, with time, subsidence set in. By reconsidering such an organisation, this article develops our understanding of the Irish population in South Africa and, following recent calls by historians, it provides new insights into the global imprints that were left behind by the Irish Revolution.