Ivor Bell

Ivor Bell
Born	1936/1937 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Allegiance	Provisional Irish Republican Army
Years of service	1956 – 1962 1970 – 1985
Rank	Chief of Staff
Conflict	The Troubles

Ivor Malachy Bell is an Irish republican, and a former volunteer in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who later became Chief of Staff on the Army Council.

Bell was involved with the Irish Republican Army during the 1956–1962 campaign, but left over the decision to call a cease-fire. He rejoined the republican movement in 1970, and become the commander of the Kashmir Road-based B Company of the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade. During Gerry Adams' initial career in the republican movement he took much of his direction from Brendan Hughes and Bell. At this time Bell was Adams' adjutant in the Second Battalion of the Belfast Brigade. Hughes was the commander of the D Coy. Adams looked to Bell for political strategy and to Hughes for the opinion of the "rank and file" volunteers.

In 1972, Bell, now Belfast Brigade adjutant, along with Seamus Twomey, Martin McGuinness, and Gerry Adams were flown to London by the Royal Air Force for secret ceasefire talks with British government ministers. Adams and Bell were sceptical about the proposed cease-fire and did not trust the British government. The truce soon broke down, followed by twenty deaths over three days.

In February 1974, Bell was arrested on information provided by one of the "Disappeared" (informer) Eamon Molloy. He was placed in Cage 11 at Long Kesh along with Hughes and Adams. Fellow internees had nicknamed it the 'General's Cage' because of the number of senior republicans held there.

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