True IRA / Irish Kings
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True IRA Leadership
The Irish Kings
Declan Brogan, Peter Dooley, Brendan Roark, Griffin
The council of the True IRA in Belfast. First seen thanking SAMCRO for proving Jimmy O to have gone rogue, they later propose developing the relationship between the Sons and True IRA even further. According to Clay, they are the "Irish Kings, the Godfathers of the True IRA".
- Bald of Evil: Griffin is balding
- Boom, Headshot!: Roark in the series finale, courtesy of Jax.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Dooley after Season 4.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Griffin to Dooley in Season 6.
James "Jimmy O" O'Phelan
"Sorry things didn't work out the way you planned boys. Luck of the Irish though, yeah?"
Played By: Titus Welliver
The leader of the Real IRA group who sell guns to SAMCRO.
- Arch-Enemy: To Chibs. Jimmy is the one who gave him his scars, as well as stealing his family and exiling him from Ireland.
- Big Bad Ensemble: He shares the role of Big Bad during Season 3 with Stahl, even though they're at odds. They provide serious problems for the Sons on separate fronts.
- Deadpan Snarker: Jimmy has some glib lines for bad situations. Upon being arrested and thus saved from death:"Thank goodness for the American justice system!"
- Dragon with an Agenda: to the True IRA Council
- The Dreaded: When Polly asks who he is, Edmond shakily replies that he's no one she'd ever want to meet.
- Face Death with Dignity: Although he tries to snake his way out of his comeuppance, when it's clear there's no way out, Jimmy simply accepts what's going to happen.
- Faux Affably Evil: Jimmy can flash a smile and a witty one-liner, but nobody is fooled into thinking he's anything other than a savage.
- Glasgow Smile: Gave one to Chibs, and gets given one by Chibs before being killed.
- Hate Sink: He stands out as one of the few gangsters in the show who has no redeemable traits or sympathetic qualities.
- Karmic Death: When Jimmy exiled Chibs and stole his family, he gave him the scars he's known for. Chibs returns the favor before killing him.
- Kick the Dog: He can't help but taunt Chibs at every turn.
- Manipulative Bastard: Plays around with Chibs like a puppet.
- The Sociopath: He shows no remorse for any of his crimes.
- Wife Husbandry: His plan for Kerrianne. It's unknown if he was just trying to hurt Chibs by saying it, though.
Galen O'Shay
"I don’t give a shit about your democracy."
Played By: Timothy V. Murphy
"I think [Jax is] arrogant, selfish and explosive. Wreckage you caused in Belfast got a man of God and one of my dearest friends killed."
A high-ranking member of the Real IRA directly involved in SAMCRO's affairs with the Galindo Cartel. Galen views Jax as impulsive and reckless following an incident stateside and holds him responsible for the death of Kellen Ashby. As such he is only willing to sell guns to Clay, necessitating Jax sparing Clay's life in order to maintain the deal with the IRA and the Cartel. He and Tyne Patterson serve as the main antagonists of Season 6.
- The Apprentice: He was one to Father Kellan.
- Badass Boast:"The Sons are gonna feel this on both continents."
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Always well-dressed.
- Berserk Button: Mocking 'the cause' or comparing him to a gangster like Jimmy O is not a good idea.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Shares this with Tyne Patterson in Season 6.
- Blood Knight: He usually has a big smile on his face when committing acts of violence.
- Boom, Headshot!: After Clay is broken out of prison, Galen moves to shake Jax's hand. Jax raises his gun and shoots him in the head without hesitation. Galen doesn't even have time to react.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He has a wife.
- Evil Is Petty: The very beginning of the dispute between him and Jax is due to Jax being late to a meeting. That wrong foot turns into a giant, evil leg.
- Fighting Irish: It doesn't take much for him to swing a punch at Jax.
- The Fundamentalist: Unlike Jimmy O, he actually hates Protestants.
- Horrible Judge of Character: He hates Jax with a furious passion and only trusts the deceitful Clay when it comes to making guns. Makes a little more sense when Jax reveals that Galen and Clay probably made off-the-books deals, and Galen is protecting his secrets.
- Icy Blue Eyes: His smug grin rarely reaches his cold eyes.
- Manipulative Bastard: He's playing the Irish Kings against SAMCRO with ease.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Like the other Irish higher-ups, he doesn't want to deal with August Marks. He's more upfront about his racism, dismissing the idea of doing business with 'spics' and 'niggers'.
- Smug Smiler: Usually wears a wide smirk.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Replaces Peter Dooley in Seasons 4 and 5.
Connor Malone
Played By: Scott Anderson
A member of the True IRA.
- Affably Evil: Juice considers him to be a 'decent guy' and going by all evidence, that's true. He's just working for a bad man.
- Beard of Evil: A goatee.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He brought a piece of jewelry to bring back to a loved one, probably a young daughter.
- Mouth of Sauron: He relays Galen's wishes stateside.
- Number Two: He's Galen's right-hand man, although this may be changing.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Connor has no issue with the Sons, but he's loyal to his employers.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: More so than Galen.
- Spell My Name with an S: His name is normally spelled with one N in Ireland.
- You Are in Command Now: After Galen is murdered by Jax, he has no choice but to replace him.
Father Kellan Ashby
Played By: James Cosmo
The consigliere of the Real IRA in Belfast. Kellan has a tendency to play God on some occasions despite the fact that he is as much a criminal as anyone else. Piney Winston states that while Ashby can't make any direct decisions for the True IRA, his input is highly valued.
- Affably Evil: Despite his utter ruthlessness, Ashby is a very pleasant man to speak to with a gentle, reassuring tone of voice.
- Anti-Villain: A mix of Type 3 and Type 1.
- Badass Preacher: Ashby is the only person in the series so far to hand Jax a decisive beating (before Jax got a hold of a gun to even the playing field).
- The Consigliere: His official role in relation to the True IRA Council.
- Cool Old Guy: Despite his age, he is strong enough to throw Jax across a table.
- Corrupt Church: A priest who uses his church for illicit activities, including murder.
- Evil Old Folks: He's an older fellow and has the kind of grandfatherly air about him. He's also a ruthless and powerful man who can knock Jax on his ass.
- Heel Face Doorslam: Implied offscreen
- Heroic Sacrifice: He turns himself over to what is almost certainly his own execution in order to get Jax his son back.
- Killed Offscreen: He is last seen when he allows himself to be taken hostage by Jimmy O'Phelan in exchange for Jax's baby. It's later confirmed that Jimmy killed him during the trip to America.
- Like a Son to Me: How he views the Casey brothers. It's possible losing both of them in the span of a few days contributed to his decision to sacrifice himself for Abel.
- Odd Friendship: Shared one with John Teller, an outlaw biker from California, through their shared connection to the IRA.
- Redemption Equals Death: It's confirmed in Season 5 that Jimmy killed him off-screen.
- Sinister Minister: Ashby is a priest who's perfectly willing to use a baby as a bargaining chip and order the murders of people who considered him a friend.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He's a highly respected Catholic priest who is also a high ranking IRA leader. He strongly believes in the Cause and will go to great lengths to protect it. This includes having a man executed in his church and using Jax's infant son as a bargaining chip to have the Sons murder a rival IRA leader.
IRA Members
Cameron Hayes
Played By: Jamie McShane
McKeavey's cousin and also a member of the Real IRA. He becomes SAMCRO's new contact and gun runner after McKeavey's death.
- Bald of Evil: Thinning, but still.
- Despair Event Horizon: Edmond's death utterly destroys Cameron, and quickly leads to his death.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While their relationship might be strained from time to time, Cameron does love his son Edmond and is distraught by his death.
- Greed: Cameron's greed leads him to break the SAMCRO deal and secretly sell guns to LOAN.
- Papa Wolf: To his son; although he fails to protect Edmond, he's angered enough to hurt the Sons very deeply.
- Replacement Goldfish: In a moment of grief-induced insanity, he abducts Abel for this reason.
- Sanity Slippage: Cameron goes completely off the deep end after his son's death; in a grief-fueled rage he kills Half-Sack and steals Abel Teller.
- Too Dumb to Live: He's promptly killed for being stupid enough to set off the events of Season 3.
Edmond Hayes
Played By: Callard Harris
Cameron Hayes' son and business partner.
- Jerkass: Cocky and condescending to the Sons.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Polly Zobelle.
- Too Dumb to Live: His ridiculous stupidity gets him killed by Stahl.
Luke Moran
Played By: Kevin Kearns
Jimmy O's second in command in the USA.
- The Dragon: To Jimmy O, but only when he's in the United States.
Michael and Sean Casey
Played By: Glenn Keogh and Dan Hildebrand
Members of the Real IRA in Belfast, and very close to father Kellan - Maureen Ashby describes them as "being like sons to him".
- Co-Dragons: For Father Kellan.
- Like a Son to Me: To Father Kellan, as mentioned by Maureen.
Donny
Played By: Joel Tobeck
- The Dragon: For Jimmy O.
- Undying Loyalty: To Jimmy O, who he sticks by even after Jimmy loses all his allies.
