By Danny Morrison (for the Guardian)

Denis Donaldson’s death, after his being unearthed as an agent, would not have come as a shock several years ago. Traditionally, the price of informing on the IRA has been execution. But last year the IRA, in laying down its arms, formally announcing an end to its armed struggle and exhorting its volunteers to work politically for the organisation’s objectives, certainly eschewed action such as a revenge killing.

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