The IRA

[shadygiz]

It's good to know that if the USA decided to invade and occupy this country tomorrow that there are plenty of blues that wouldn't raise a finger to stop them.

dont get me started on the usa...it was those bastards that funded the ira for so many years....then came asking for help when the shit hit the fan

 

[TCIB]

Yeah, fucking fund raisers in the usa, all of these arsing fucks coughed up to the ira. The same ones who cried when 7/11 happened and wanted help and justice.
The people that did that in america i could watch their legal execution, assholes.

We were the mean nasty big brother and the ira were smiling guiness drinking repressed happy nice people.

 

[Ducado]

I think Adams and Maguinness deserve a lot of credit for bringing the IRA in from the cold

They had no choice, PIRA was bleeding to death, the flow of arms was slowing, Loyalists were getting stronger and better armed, also PIRA was compromised by the security services at a very high level number 2 in their internal security Freddie Scappaticci was a British agent, it was estimated that if things carried on like they were, PIRA would have been decimated and any hope of reunification or even better representation for Catholics would go with it, so they took the pragmatic way, which was the way the British and Irish governments wanted them to go.

 

[talkativesprout]

It's good to know that if the USA decided to invade and occupy this country tomorrow that there are plenty of blues that wouldn't raise a finger to stop them.

We would probably form a resistance movement and fight them on our own soil. We certainly would sneak into Nevada and blow up hicksvilles mothercare

 

[Lucky13]

Some interesting comments which I think illustrate the power of the media and he way the troubles were reported in England. The record of The British Army in Ireland is of course littered with 'atrocities', but whilst troops were "murdered" the other side were merely "shot dead".

Think you'll find Ulster is part of the United Kingdom , Ireland is not.

 

[Michael Corleone]

Having studied this topic, I know quite a deal but will summarise is the most non biased way I can.

Working class Catholics demanded better rights, often employers descriminated against them (Such as H&W ship yard in Belfast). These Catholics wanted reform and underwent a series of marches to get this reform.

Working class Protestants and Unionists often argued that they had it no better than the Catholics and they were simply arguing for the sake of it.

Follow of series of high intensity marches by the nationalist/catholic community. I.e Belfast to Derry, and Coalisland to Dungannon. Tensions ran high in Northern Ireland, with a few attacks being recorded.

At this point in time, 60's onwards, the IRA, for the nationalist community. Stood for - I Ran Away. So the provisional IRA was founded, as a means to protect catholics/nationalists as it though the RUC were not doing their duty.

After a series of attacks by both sides of the community, but climaxing in 'the battle of the bogside' it was argued that the RUC were no longer in control of the situation and The British Army were drafted in. Nationalists greeted this very favourably as they though the British Army would be much fairer than the RUC.
However it was soon evident that instead of taking orders from London, the British Army were taking their orders from Stormont (The prodominently unionist assembly). This was highlighted during the falls road curfew in which many houses were ransacked by the British Army in a bid to find weapons. Membership of the PIRA soared.

In an effort to protect the protestant community from what they saw as more and more nationalist attacks many unionist paramilitaries were set up. Most notably the UDA and UVF. Fast forward and there are killings on both sides, often motivated by revenge.

The British Army introuduces Internment as most paramilitary members could not be prosecuted due to witness intimidation and the refusal of IRA members to recognise the British court. All members interned in the first 6 months are Catholics causing huge upsoars in the nationalist community. As more civilians are killed membership for both sides increases, as cousins, fathers and sons, outraged by civilian killings join up to defend their families.

This continues throughout, but the 70's are by far the worst years. Killings fall and the good friday agreement brings and unsettled 'peace' to Northern Ireland.

Conclusion, both paramilitaries committed horrible attrocities. No doubt. But on both sides many fought simply because they thought if they didn't they would be killed. Many fought to protect what they believed in. And the IRA cannot be solely blamed. We cannot forget the attroctities of the Shankill Butchers for example.

If anyone is still a bit hazy, which you will be. I'll write more.

 

[Ducado]

It's good to know that if the USA decided to invade and occupy this country tomorrow that there are plenty of blues that wouldn't raise a finger to stop them.

dont get me started on the usa...it was those bastards that funded the ira for so many years....then came asking for help when the shit hit the fan

And you can thank Reagan and Bush Senior for putting a stop to that, in fact not much ever got through without the security forces knowing about it, the chief supplier of arms was Libya

 

[shadygiz]

It's good to know that if the USA decided to invade and occupy this country tomorrow that there are plenty of blues that wouldn't raise a finger to stop them.

dont get me started on the usa...it was those bastards that funded the ira for so many years....then came asking for help when the shit hit the fan

And you can thank Reagan and Bush Senior for putting a stop to that, in fact not much ever got through without the security forces knowing about it, the chief supplier of arms was Libya

the kennedy and carter regimes being the worst

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

dont get me started on the usa...it was those bastards that funded the ira for so many years....then came asking for help when the shit hit the fan

And you can thank Reagan and Bush Senior for putting a stop to that, in fact not much ever got through without the security forces knowing about it, the chief supplier of arms was Libya

the kennedy and carter regimes being the worst

Not forgetting Joe Kennedy of course.

 

[Gelsons Dad]

I've spent the last 4 days in Sourh Armagh and met several people with first hand knowledge of the IRA and how it operated during the troubles. Seems to me that various the brigades waged a highly effective guerilla war against a well resourced modern army.

The tactics of some operations and the bravery of the volunteers involved is regarded highly by many military historains, and when you look at the country, and the security that was in place, it's not hard to see why.

I'm glad the war is over and have nothing but disgust for the dregs that killed Paul Quinn and those few that became thugs and worse afterwards. But when you look clearly at the IRA as a fighting force, it's hard not to have some respect.

Anders Behring Breivik made the IRA look like amateurs. "Bravery" my arse. Regarded highly! Name one respected historian?

Cowardly shithouses the lot of them.