The new IRB: How a shadow 'government' is operating under the radar in Ireland
This episode was first published in August 2025.
For years the Irish Republican Brotherhood – the IRB – was remembered annually in a curious ceremony at Dublin’s Mansion House when its self-styled president Billy McGuire conducted a ritual that involved turning a golden harp to reaffirm the sovereignty of Ireland.
The existence of an IRB will come as a surprise to historians who consider that the secret-oath-bound society of the same name was disbanded more than 100 years ago.
But in recent years, a new cohort has taken over the IRB name, turning it into a growing organisation steeped in the…
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