Draft:Terence Robson

Portrait of Terry Robson circa 1970s.

Terence (commonly known as “Terry”) Robson was an Irish Republican Socialist, academic, and political leader from Derry, in the North of Ireland. He was a founding member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) and, later in 1974, its military wing, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). He went on to become a respected professor at the University of Ulster. His contributions to activism, academia, and community development left a lasting impact on political thought and grassroots progress in the North of Ireland. Terry embodied the principles of James Connolly and the tenets of Marxism-Leninism, firmly believing that Ireland’s path to a socialist republic required the complete withdrawal of British political and military presence, allowing the Irish working class to lead the nation’s transformation.

Early Life and Political Involvement

Terry Robson was born in Derry, in the North of Ireland. He became actively involved in politics during the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period of significant political upheaval. In December 1974, he co-founded the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) alongside Seamus Costello and others. He was present on 8 December 1974 at the Spa Hotel in Lucan, near Dublin, during the party’s formation. The IRSP was established by former members of the Official IRA and Official Sinn Féin, along with other left-wing republicans and socialists, and became the political wing of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA).

Throughout his political career, Robson faced challenges, including false charges and imprisonment. He was remanded in jail before three separate 'supergrass' trials, a controversial legal process that relied on testimony from state informants. Despite these trials, he was not convicted.

Terry chairing Patsy O'Hara's funeral.

Robson was actively involved in the republican socialist movement throughout the conflict. A well-known photograph shows him chairing proceedings at the funeral of 1981 hunger striker Patsy O’Hara, one of three INLA hunger strikers. Beside Robson stands a masked INLA volunteer. He also played a significant role in organising the funerals of Seamus Costello and Kevin Lynch.

Terry's political journey was marked by his strong belief in Republican Socialism as the only solution to the economic and political enslavement of the Irish working class. He wrote the IRSP's current political prospectus in 2010, of which is still followed to this day. Robson played a key role in radical youth activism in the late 1960's, joining the Official IRA in 1968 alongside figures like Tommy McCourt and Johnny White. In the 1970s, following the split of the Provisionals from the IRA, Terry and his comrades stayed with the republican movement and continued the struggle against British occupation. In 1974, Terry became part of the founding leadership of both the IRSP and the INLA, alongside his close comrades. He stood in solidarity with revolutionary movements around the world—admiring leaders like Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and James Connolly—believing deeply in the struggles of oppressed peoples, from the Native American nations to the Palestinian resistance.

Terry speaking to a crowd during the Battle of the Bogside.

Academic Contributions

During and after his political activism, Dr. Robson pursued an academic career at the University of Ulster’s Magee campus, where he earned two PhDs and specialised in policy studies, community action, and social change. His research frequently examined the role of grassroots activism in challenging state power.

Robson authored The State and Community Action (2000), in which he applied the theories of Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci to community development and political activism. His work critically analysed how radical movements could be absorbed and neutralised by state institutions, thereby limiting their potential to effect substantial social change. He argued that community-led initiatives often risked co-option by government programmes, reducing their revolutionary impact.

Legacy and Passing

Terry Robson passed away in October 2023. His funeral included traditional republican honors, with masked men firing a volley of shots over his coffin, which was draped in a red Starry Plough flag, along with a beret and gloves. A traditional republican guard of honor flanked his coffin as it made its way to the Derry City Cemetary, where we would be laid to rest in the republican plot of the Derry City cemetery.

Anti-internment rally in Derry 1971. Left-to-Right, Eamon MeLaugh, George Quigley, Terry Robson and Bernadette Devlin MP.

In a eulogy, IRSP leadership member Sean Carlin said Robson "never wavered from his core belief in Republican Socialism." He described Robson as someone who "led the INLA in Derry against the British State and was consistently and centrally involved in miltary operations." Carlin further stated, "This was during a time when the INLA were extremely active and successful. Some of the INLA's most successful operations occurred under his leadership."

Carlin emphasised Robson's strategic approach to activism: "Terry understood and advocated the primary of politics and that all armed actions, indeed all activities of a revolutionary movement, should be done within the confines of the political struggle. That is the fundamental position of this revolutionary movement. To this end Terry sought to clearly define where republican socialist principles could be applied to every aspect of political decision-making in Ireland."

Lifelong friend and IRSP member, Tommy McCourt, told mourners that Robson "embodied the spirit of 1968."

Carlin concluded: "Terry was our guiding light. He led the way. He articulated so eloquently what we need to do. He was a revolutionary fighter without compromise, fighting for the rights of his community from the barricades of the Bogside. He was a student who excelled academically, graduating with two PhDs. He was a teacher, an author, a patriot, a loyal comrade to many, and our leader during turbulent times."

"Rest in peace, comrade Terry Robson, we will never forgot you."

Robson's contributions to both political activism and academia remain an essential part of the history of Irish Republican Socialism, ensuring his legacy endures in the study of radical politics and grassroots organising.