Editing Seamus Costello (section)

==Political activism==
After his release, Costello worked to rebuild the republican movement, beginning by building a local base of support in [[County Wicklow]] as Sinn Féin's local organiser. Costello strongly supported the movement's left-wing orientation of these years, especially its emphasis on grassroots political activism. He helped found a strong tenants' association in [[Bray, County Wicklow|Bray]], and also became involved with the [[credit union]] movement and various farmers' organisations. During this period he married a woman, Maeliosa Gaynor from Rapla near [[Nenagh]], [[County Tipperary]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=1977-10-27 |title=Nenagh |access-date= |work=Tipperary Star}}</ref> who also became active in the republican movement. Costello was elected to both [[Bray Urban District Council]] and [[Wicklow County Council]] in 1966.

After [[the Troubles]] broke out in [[Northern Ireland]] in 1969, factions in both the IRA and Sinn Féin were divided over [[abstentionism]] and the left-wing faction's socialist politics.  The republican movement divided into Official and Provisional movements in 1969/70, but Costello remained with the Officials, owing to a greater commitment to left-wing politics.  He served as vice-president of Official Sinn Féin and as a staff officer in the [[Official IRA]].

He was the Official IRA's Director of Operations.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor = 25551178|title = INLA: Back from the Political Grave?|journal = Fortnight|issue = 251|pages = 8–9|last1 = Clarke|first1 = Liam|year = 1987}}</ref>

Costello was opposed to the 1972 ceasefire and started to clash openly with the leadership, in particular with [[Eoin Ó Murchú]]. Costello was subjected to court martial in 1974. [[Brigid Makowski]], who was called to testify at his court martial in Mornington in County Meath, remarked that "Jesus could have testified on Costello's behalf and it wouldn't have changed the verdict."<ref>The Lost Revolution : The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party by Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, p. 272</ref> He was dismissed from OSF in 1974 after the OSF leadership blocked his supporters from attending the party convention.

He stood again in the 1974 local elections and topped the poll for the [[Wicklow County Council]] and the [[Bray Urban District Council]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irsp.ie/Background/costello/costellobio.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=24 April 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306033357/http://www.irsp.ie/Background/costello/costellobio.html |archive-date=6 March 2016 }}</ref>