Stickies, the, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Stickies, the n.

also Stickeys, the

[? the Officials stick to trad. IRA policies or they stick on their Easter lilies while the Provisionals use pins. Share suggests ‘adhesive employed on identity badge’]

the Official Irish Republican Army.

1972		N.Y. Times Mag. 11 June 64: ‘Stickeys’ (as they are disparagingly tagged by the Provisional wing because of the sticky backs of their Easter seals).
1976		P. Theroux Family Arsenal 241: McDade. His picture was in the paper. The Stickies give him a funeral.