Gerry Adams tells libel case he will not ‘speculate’ on who was in the IRA

Gerry Adams has said he would not “speculate” on who was in the IRA during a defamation case he has taken against the BBC.

The former Sinn Fein leader said an attempt is being made to “smother” the jury in history as he was questioned over past statements and events during The Troubles.

Mr Adams faced cross-examination over his knowledge of who was in the IRA and the organisation’s rules, on which he repeatedly said he would not “speculate” in court.

Asked about who was in charge of the West Belfast brigade of the IRA in 1972, Mr Adams said: “I’m not going to speculate.”

He said a number of people had acknowledged publicly that they were members of the IRA but he was “not prepared to speculate in this court” on who would have been in the IRA at any time.

Barrister for the BBC Paul Gallagher SC asked Mr Adams whether his answer was that throughout the period of The Troubles, apart from people who identified themselves as members of the IRA, that he was not aware of who was in the IRA.

“You don’t seem to be prepared to accept my answers,” Mr Adams replied.

Mr Adams is continuing to give evidence in his defamation case against the BBC at the High Court in Dublin.

He claims a BBC Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of the former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson.

Mr Donaldson, who had worked for Sinn Fein, was shot dead in Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent for 20 years.

Mr Adams denies any involvement.

In 2009, the Real IRA admitted killing Mr Donaldson.

The Spotlight programme was broadcast in September 2016.

The trial opened last week with barrister for Mr Adams, Tom Hogan SC, saying the former Sinn Fein president’s reputation as a “peacemaker” had suffered an “unjustified” attack because of the broadcast of the BBC programme.

In the witness box, Mr Adams said he “liked” and “knew” Mr Donaldson, but did not have many dealings with him.

Beginning his cross-examination on Friday afternoon, Paul Gallagher SC asked Mr Adams if he remembered how many people were killed in various atrocities during The Troubles.

Mr Adams told the hearing he did not remember how many people were killed in incidents such as Bloody Friday or the Claudy bombings, and asked what it had to do with Mr Donaldson.

On Tuesday, Mr Adams entered the witness box for a fifth day.

The jury was shown a montage of various broadcast footage of interviews with figures such as Peter McMullan, who said he was a former IRA member who worked with Mr Adams in the Belfast brigade.

The jury were also shown a video clip of Mr Adams from 1987 where he was asked about the death of Charles McIlmurray.

“Mr McIlmurray, like anyone living in West Belfast knows, that the consequence of informing is death,” he said in the clip.

Under cross-examination from Mr Gallagher, Mr Adams said his remark was “very harsh” but was made along with other comments at a press conference including expressing his commiserations with the family of Mr McIlmurray.

He denied that the statement was made as a warning or a threat, or that he was attributing blame to Mr McIlmurray.

Mr Gallagher asked him several times if he was aware of the structures and rules of the IRA, to which Mr Adams said several times he would not “speculate” in court and had already answered the question.

“I don’t intend to speculate on any of those issues in relation to the IRA,” Mr Adams said.

When pressed on whether he was not going to answer any questions in relation to the IRA, Mr Adams said an attempt was made to “smother them (the jury) in an awful history”.

“What on earth has this got to do with Denis Donaldson,” Mr Adams said.

Mr Adams was also asked about an interview with the Guardian in 1982 which the court heard quotes him as stating that the only complaints he had from republicans and anti-unionists about the death of politician Norman Stronge in 1981 was that he was not shot 40 years ago.

Mr Adams said his comments reflected opinion at the time, and said he himself was “shocked” by the killing.

“It’s a matter of history, it’s done,” he said.

Under questioning, he said: “I have never resiled from my view that the IRA’s campaign, whatever about elements of it, was a legitimate response to military occupation.”

He said he was not “resiling” from that position while on the stand.

Mr Adams said he could not comment on why people including informers were “disappeared” during the Troubles, but called it “horrific”.

“It was wrong, bad enough that informers were being killed, but to disappear their bodies was totally and absolutely wrong.”

He told the court he believes he had met all the families of those who were shot and secretly buried by the IRA.

Mr Adams, 76, stepped down as Sinn Fein president in 2018 after 34 years at the helm.

He served as an MP for West Belfast and represented the Louth constituency in the Dail parliament until the 2020 general election, when he retired from politics.

The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, continues.