The IRA

1. The IRA Irish Republican Army

4. History of Ireland • 1400 – Normans from England settle in Ireland • 1495 – King Henry VII extends English law over Irish parliament

5. Henry VIII tries to impose Anglican religion • Roman Catholicism becomes linked with Irish • Refuse to accept Anglican Church

6. 1560s – English suppress Irish revolt • Queen Elizabeth I takes Irish lands and gives to English nobles • 1660 – English law prevails over Ireland

7. Beginning of the Current Conflict • 1798 – failed Irish revolt • Jan 1, 1801 – Irish relinquish own parliament • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland formed

8. 1841 – 1851 – Irish potato famine • Population in Ireland decreases by 1.6 million • Famine, disease, emigration • British do little to help Irish • Animosity grows

9. Growth in Call for Home Rule • Following famine, Catholics in Ireland demand national self-government • Gain power in Parliament established in Ireland • May 1914 – Government of Ireland Act passed • British grant Irish home rule status • August 1914 – postponed because of WWI

10. 1916 – first Irish nationalist militia formed • Fought Irish unionist militias that supported British • 1916-1919 – First Irish Civil War

11. Government of Ireland Act of 1920 • Partitioned Ireland • Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland • Led to civil war

12. Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1921 • Dec 6 • Northern Ireland given option to remain part of UK • Created Irish Free State in the south

13. Constitution of Ireland • Dec. 29, 1937 • Creates Republic of Ireland

14. Provisional Irish Republican Army • December 1969 split of IRA • Aim is to remove Northern Ireland from UK • Bring about a united Ireland • Force of arms and political persuasion

15. Strategy • Use force to cause collapse of N. Ireland gov’t • Inflict casualties on British forces • Enough for Parliament to remove troops

16. January 11, 1970 – Sinn Fein splits • Supporters of new PIRA • PIRA suspicious of political activity • Argued for more use of armed struggle

17. Escalate, Escalate, Escalate • PIRA took cues from “Old IRA” • Recruit high numbers of volunteers • Carry out attacks on British forces • Bombing campaing against economic targets • Goal is “Victory 1972” • “Victory 1974”

18. Bloody Sunday • Aka Bogside Massacre • January 30, 1972 – Bogside, Derry, N. Ireland • N. Ireland Civil Rights Assoiciation march • 26 unarmed protestors and bystanders shot by British Army • 13 men die • 5 shot in the back • 2 run down by vehicles

22. Mid-1970s, hope for quick victory receded • PIRA meets with N. Ireland gov’t • PIRA leaders Ruairi O Bradaigh and Billy Mckee • N. Ireland Secretary of State Merlyn Rees

23. Ceasefire signed – begins February 1975 • IRA believed start of British withdrawal • Concluded that Rees was trying to bring them to peaceful politics without any guarantees

24. Gerry Adams emerges as critic of IRA • Ceasefire disastrous for IRA • Led to infiltration of British informers • Arrest of activitists • Breakdown in IRA discipline and feud w/ Official IRA • Ceasefire breaks down in January 1976

25. The Long War Strategy • IRA comes under direction of Gerry Adams and his supporters • IRA reorganized to small cells • Accepted that campaign would last many years • Greater emphasis on use of Sinn Fein

26. War of attrition • Cause as many deaths as possible • Bombing campaign aimed at financial sites • Make the 6 Counties ungovernable except through military rule • Sustain war and gain through propaganda • Punish criminals, collaborators, informers

27. 1981 Hunger Strike • Seven IRA and 3 Liberation Army members • Starve themselves to death in pursuit of political status • Led by Bobby Sands and Own Carron • Elected to British Parliament • Brought more focus to plight of IRA and use of political activism

29. TUAS • Republican leaders look for political compromise • Social and Democratic Labour Party leader John Hume secretly meets w/Gerry Adams and British leaders • Adams moves Sinn Fein away from IRA • Tactical Use of Armed Struggle • Totally Unarmed Strategy

30. 1994 Ceasefire called by IRA • Conditional upon inclusion of Sinn Fein in political talks • February 1996 ceasefire ends until July 1997 • Sinn Fein ignored • Ceasefire of 1997 leads to Belfast Agreement

31. Belfast Agreement 1998 • Good Friday Agreement • British and Irish governments • All paramilitary groups in N. Ireland cease activities and disarm by May 2000 • IRA doesn’t trust British Parliament • 2002 breaks off deal

32. Jan 2005 – IRA withdraws from disarmament process • July 2005 – IRA declares campaign of violence is over

33. July 28, 2005 • IRA Army Council announces end to armed campaign • Instructed members to dump weapons • IRA would not engage in "any other activities whatsoever apart from assisting in the development of purely political and democratic programs through exclusively peaceful means” • Sept 25, 2005 – international weapons inspectors supervise full disarmament of IRA