The Real IRA

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And what of the Irish in Ulster? What about in their hearts? Too often, it seems, the Irish question is posed from the perspective of the Republicans as if they were the only Irish people, but surely the question of the status of Ulster is not a question to be resolved by people in south, but by the Irish people in Ulster, themselves.

With reestablishment of a devolved Parliament at Stormont and a status akin to that of Scotland or Wales we may see very little appetite for unification. If you are a voter in Belfast, whose economy would you rather participate in and whose currency would you rather be using?

Independence appears to me to be a fool's game. Even assuming that they can accede to the EU (by no means assured), the economy is not large enough to manage a currency, which means that they will be tied either to Westminster and London or to Dublin and Berlin for fiscal and monetary policy.

For someone who lives in northern ireland and grew up here, i find this topic interesting.
I guess the way i see it, is that i would like to see a united ireland, but not at the expense of people lives. The RIRA is a terrorist organisation who are not afraid to kill inocent people to get their point across. Maybe the IRA could have been called freedom fighters, but i dont think that killing to get your point across does anyone any good.
Like someone else stated, maybe NI should become independant. Maybe that would be the easiest thing to do. But then is the country able to sustain itself without another, in terms of politics, currency, etc. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldnt.
Like i said, i would like a united ireland, but not by killing others. The RIRA are not going to achieve a united ireland, all they do is create hate and fear amoungst people in the north, and whether you see them as freedom fighters or terrorists, the end result will be the same.
Someone else talked about a comparison to al qaeda. They are a group who want something, and they want it bad enough to kill. Mayvbe they want freedom, and regardless of whether they are religeous or not, can we call them freedom fighters or terrorists. After all, they believe that what they are doing is right. Maybe the IRA and the RIRA are thinking the same.
but at the end of the day, for me anyway, whether or not you call your self a freedom fighter, or terrorist, killing people will never get you anywhere. This country has come a long way since the troubles, but some radicals cant allow the country to move forward to a peaceful time, instead wanting to drive us backward to what use to be.

Then, frankly, you're scum. Whether you support the PIRA or the RIRA, you're scum.

You support people who burnt innocent pensioners, guests in a hotel, to their screaming deaths.
You support people who kidnapped a special needs child from his school, interrogated, tortured and later dumped him in a zoo park, leaving him to his death.
You support people who blew up pubs in England, murdering people.
You support people who murdered children because of a political border.

To add to that, the IRA (whether now or then) were murderous thugs dedicated to imposing their will on the majority. The majority of Northern Ireland's population want to remain in the UK, thank you very much. A lot of people, like Raindance in this thread, want to see a UI (and I have no issue with that) but it must happen through peaceful means, through gentle persuasion - not murder, not nagging, not intimidation - and if the people in Northern Ireland say 'no', so be it.

The RIRA have very little support in Northern Ireland (I've been and spoken to people there) and are not that much more than a bunch of middle-aged thugs and scrotes in places like the Creggan area of Londonderry and places like that.

Last edited by Tequila on 08 Oct 2011, 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

Most Irish Nationalists don't support the IRA. A lot did at the time, but some don't and won't vote for SF because of their PIRA past. Some are happy to vote SF now they have ceased violence, which is why they are so popular in NI. Support for terrorism - and the likes of SF - in the South is generally very low.

Irish Unionists obviously hate the IRA - all incarnations - with a passion as they've spent centuries trying to defeat them.

A huge amount of the Republic's voters have given up caring about Northern Ireland at all. They're happy for partition to exist and would be absolutely mortified if six counties were added to their national territory with all the social problems and division that exist up there. Most Southerners stay the hell out of NI political debate.

Tequila I am not going to get upset for your opinon of me you see me as scum thats fair enough but the IRA the original IRA where dedicated to a United Ireland yes they used terrorism to get their point across.

I should say it like this I did support the IRA but they are not a group anymore.

Its sad to say that my family living in Ireland will never get to see a united Ireland.

Which IRA? The IRA during the War of Independence (that became the Irish Army)? The PIRA? The RIRA? The CIRA? The OIRA? ONH (not the Irish Army's name in Irish but the terrorist group)?



What IRA? If you mean the War of Independence IRA, they became the Irish Defence Forces, the army of the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland).

As for the Republic of Ireland: it's entirely right that they be independent. They've been independent for 90 years, we have a good and close relationship with them. Many Irish people live here in Great Britain and there is free movement between the Irish Republic and the UK. After the UK, our closest relationship is probably with Ireland. We're neighbours - they speak our language, eat much of our food, read our newspapers, watch our TV... and we listen to their TV presenters and music groups.



Perhaps because that for the people that really matter - a majority of the people of Northern Ireland - don't want it?

Almost everyone living in Northern Ireland can get Irish passports if they want them, unionists and nationalists alike. In fact, some unionists get Irish passports when they travel to countries that aren't particularly favourable to Britain.

Sinn Féin are administering British rule in Northern Ireland in a British parliament and they're quite happy with that. It is a small minority of extremist wasters that don't want this - everyone else is happy just to get along.

The IRA during the War of Independence (that became the Irish Army)

My granfather Sheamus that lives in Ireland wants a united Ireland because of the.

Mistreatment of the Irish through out history by the English who raped pivileged and destroyed.

The homes of many Irish people the Irish have always been treated as the negros so to speak.

Of europe thats why many of them immagrated to America I was born in America but me.

Mother rasied me to be more Irish and less americanized.

If you just appreciate the work of the IRA from the independence war, that's not quite as bad (though the IRA, along with the Black and Tans, did commit atrocities). It's the post-1922 incarnations that most have a real problem with.

And there won't be a united Ireland for a very long time - most of Ireland is independent (as the Republic of Ireland) but a small part of it wishes to remain in the UK. What's wrong with that?

Most of the Northern Irish don't see themselves as 'oppressed' (no matter how much some of them want a UI, it ain't happening) and the rest of the island is quite happy with things as they are. What's to change?

I guess nothing....Though Ireland should be united never realized how much influence the UK have over some people in Ireland.

OT: Name a rebel group that was not given the name "terrorists" by those in power. Fairly sure it happened to Washington.

Since rebel groups by definition have to break some rules. Then I will dare to say that the main difference between freedom fighters and terrorists is that freedom fighters won the war and were able to write the history books.

By that definition, The IRA were terrorists. Sorry.

Except for when they were bombing British city centres.

They warned us beforehand, though. They were a more civilised bunch of terrorists than the Islamic suicide bombers of today. Still terrorists, nonetheless.

I take it you've never been to an Orange Order parade then? Or looked at the wealth of pro-British political parties up in NI? They take Union Jack-flag waving to an extreme you'll never find in mainland Britain. You only need to drive through the eastern half of NI to see this. Though I point out at this juncture that this kind of behaviour is the behaviour of a significant minority on both sides - most people couldn't give a toss and just want to get on with their lives.

Northern Ireland exists because the majority wishes it to exist. They make a choice to support this UK state. If the support wasn't there, Britain would be out of NI tomorrow.

Last edited by Tequila on 09 Oct 2011, 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

RIRA?

The '96 Manchester bombing was the Provisional IRA. I don't know about the RIRA.

I vaguely remember when the Provos blew up Manchester. I was in primary school at the time and people were talking about it.