The more detailed the accounts surrounding alleged or self-confessed informers, the more painful the truth would likely be for all sides. There is an acceptance of state intelligences covert role within UK mainland society, and subsequently state power and secrecy.157. Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. Aging Irish Republican Army terrorists will confess to decades-old atrocities as part of the proposed Irish Truth Process in Northern Ireland, a source told The Sunday Times of London. Her family deny the informer accusations. February 13, 2023 The state could always say Fulton chose to reveal his identity. 15. OLoan find no evidence McConville was a spy, Irish Times, 7 July 2006; reference 699 in McKittrick et al., Lost Lives. For more information please visit our Permissions help page. 8. Meanwhile, intense debate raged over how best to rebuild the World read more, More than 150,000 Irishmen, most of whom were recent immigrants and many of whom were not yet U.S. citizens, joined the Union Army during the Civil War. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic free from British rule.[1]. Only the state knows. Description. Six more IRA members and threeIrish National Liberation Army membersalso fast to death before the hunger strike ends in October, and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher agrees to some of the demands of the protesters, which includes the right to visits, receive mail and wear civilian clothing. Two former RUC officers confirmed Fulton prevented various IRA activities.135 Another rare exception involves the McConville case. Gerry Adams: Thatcher Caused 'Great Suffering' In Ireland. We are the IRA" and insisted that they "were entirely separate from the Real IRA, Some years after losing the Civil War a faction led by de Valera resigned from, In the 1930s, the remainder of the IRA, including that part of the, After the Official IRA's 1972 ceasefire, it and Official Sinn Fin suffered a split in 1974 leading to the formation of the, In 1992, the Workers' Party suffered a split when a majority faction failed to secure changes. The UK states and IRAs multidimensional approach to dealing with informer legacy has been seen in other contexts. In July 2002, on the thirtieth anniversary of the 1972 "Bloody Friday" bombings, the IRA startled its sympathizers and enemies alike by offering "sincere apologies and condolences" to the families of its civilian victims. It was responsible for the deaths of many people . The British Army falsely called the victims gunmen and bombersa report finalized in 2010 found none of the dead were threats. The settlement generated intense opposition within Sinn Fin, Cumann na mBan, and the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which resulted in a civil war in mid-1922. The agent Stakeknife, some SAS ambushes against the IRA that led to deaths of Republicans and at times civilians (even if unintentional), and incidents that Republicans labelled as shoot-to-kill ambushes in north Armagh in the mid-1980s are a few examples.26. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, twenty years after their ouster by U.S. troops. Donaldson went into hiding. Dudai suggests celebrity informers help sustain Republican hostility towards them by singing from the same hymn sheet as republican political opponents in contemporary politics.29, In a separate article, Dudai presents the IRAs multifaceted response to informers during the conflict. What was the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and why did it become so infamous in Northern Ireland and the Republic alike? The Unforgivable? Nonetheless, it is worth noting the state in these cases can always argue the intelligence agencies involved in the controversial cases have been reformed, including RUC SB and the Force Research Unit (FRU). He served at every level of the Irish Republican Army, including as a member of the Army Executive, the Army Council, and as IRA Chief of Staff. Graffiti in . A leaflet distributed at the time praised the heroism of the republican prisoners. It is difficult to work out why. In 2002, support for the Good Friday Agreement reached its lowest levels since the document's adoption. The agreement paved the way for peace talks that led to the IRA's first ceasefire in 1994 and the 1998 Good Friday peace accord. Both sides did some really awful shit. 3. Press J to jump to the feed. Sinn Fin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, together with John Hume, head of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), sought ways to end the armed struggle and bring republicans into democratic politics. April 10, 1998: The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, is signed, with the referendum passing May 23 following a vote in both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. 32. A British Army patrol suddenly arrived and arrested the IRA volunteers.106 Bernards sister disputed the IRAs account, particularly because her brother had additional learning needs.107 In 2004, the IRA declared Bernards death was wrong and offered its sincere apologies. Aldrich and Cormac, Grey is the new black, 478, 493494. ** Editors Note: A previous version of this article erroneously named the rejectionists as the victors of the Irish Civil War. Aug. 15, 1998: An IRA splinter group called Real IRA, carries out the deadliest paramilitary attack in Northern Ireland during a car bombing in Omagh in Northern Ireland, leaving 29 dead and more than 200 wounded. March 20, 1993: Two boys, ages 3 and 12 are killed, and another 50-some people were injured, during an IRA bombing at a shopping area in Warrington, England where bombs were placed in trash cans . The states adoption of silence with various informer legacy cases suggests it primarily values protecting its contemporary intelligence operations, security and reputation. Violence by extremists against the demonstratorsunhindered by the mostly Protestant police force (the Royal Ulster Constabulary)set in motion a series of escalating attacks by both sides. Beginning in 1970, the Provos carried out bombings, assassinations, and ambushes in a campaign they called the Long War. In 1973 they expanded their attacks to create terror in mainland Britain and eventually even in continental Europe. Description. In November 1973, Bernard Teggart, a teenager, was killed by the Belfast IRA. Nonetheless, Cohen and Dudai outline similarities including blackmail, revenge and ideology.57 The mixture of motives in Palestine and subsequent justifications for informing also shows informers will struggle to agree on a specific form of reconciliation. They left and formed the, In 1969, the more traditionalist republican members split off into the, A further split occurred in 1986 when the former leader of Sinn Fin, In 1997, Members of the Provisional IRA who did not accept the peace process split off to form the, In 2012, the Real IRA merged with other republican groups including the. The states neither confirm nor deny policy helps Republicans continue countering celebrity informer accounts. We also concur with Darcy: informers can be both victims and perpetrators of serious crimes.37 This factor further explains why Republicans and the state respond on a case by case basis. Bowcott, IRA Mole, The Guardian, 8 July 2014. Some similar and other contrasting factors explain why, particularly contemporary political and reputational concerns. These examples are often specifically about dealing with conflict legacy and injustices. In Irish law,[2] this IRA was the army of the revolutionary Irish Republic as declared by its parliament, Dil ireann, in 1919. Fifty years ago, in December 1969, the Provisional IRA was born from the widespread religious violence that had wracked the six counties of Northern Ireland since the preceding August. Catholic residents, however, largely were excluded from this prosperity, and when the conflict the Irish call "the Troubles" erupted in 1969, the Catholic unemployment rate in some parts of the province topped 30 percent. A dissident Irish Republican Army splinter group is suspected of shooting the detective on Wednesday night after a kids' soccer session at a sports complex in Omagh, about 60 miles (nearly 100 . 55. 77. Morrison stated: Some were caught and compromised Most informed not out of principle, contrary to what Sean OCallaghans book might suggest.86 Republicans believe celebrity informers exaggerate ideological motives to challenge Republicanism still, and to gain financial reward. The resulting settlement established two new political entities: the Irish Free State, which comprised 26 counties and was granted dominion status within the British Empire; and Northern Ireland, made up of six counties and sometimes called the province of Ulster, which remained part of the United Kingdom. For my teachers in the 1970s and '80s, "West Brit" was the worst term of abuse in an Irish-speaking school. Despite the IRAs Green Book (code of conduct) stipulating that informers face the death penalty, rules were sometimes adapted. In 1997, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams apologizes for the bombing. Oh yeah and while we are at it, who cares about anything remotely realistic? Irish Republican Army (IRA), also called Provisional Irish Republican Army, republican paramilitary organization seeking the establishment of a republic, the end of British rule in Northern Ireland, and the reunification of Ireland. As Dudai explains, they are self-confessed informers and agents who have released memoirs, proudly share their activities and frequently speak against Sinn Fin in the post-conflict period.66 One example is Raymond Gilmour. These talks led to the announcement of an IRA cease-fire in 1997 and, through several setbacks, to a peace pact. In May, Gerard "Jock" Davison, a man with a formidable IRA pedigree, was shot dead in the Markets area of central Belfast. With no clear winner, no dominant conflict narrative emerges. 7. In October 2001, the IRA began "decommissioning" its arsenal-in effect disarming, an action the unionists have long demanded as proof of the IRAs commitment to peace and to pursuing a purely political strategy. (Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Angus MacSwan). Its signatories renounced violence, established a new Northern Ireland legislative body, increased cross-border ties, and freed prisoners. Available in Plus Size T-Shirt. When the IRA did bombings, they'd do phonecalls and tell people "Don't go there, we're bombing it." Loyalist British Protestant paramilitaries aimed to stop the IRA achieving its objectives. But even before the deal was signed . Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "irregular war" or "low-level war". 1. Leahy, Intelligence War, 58, 210248. Political calculations influence mainstream Republicans levels of engagement with different informer legacy cases. The IRA were literal terrorists, they killed children, other countries nationals, government officials etc. Since 1999 the IRA has located the remains of some people it accused of informing and whom it admits disappearing (burying in an unmarked grave). Politically, revisiting these cases also helps support the Republican analysis of the past and further justify their present ambitions to end British rule. Members of the Irish Republican Group described the shooting in Derry as a 'military operation' with 'all volunteers returned to base' after a statement was attached to a wall close to the . Other alleged informers and their families wish to clear their names. Interview with Danny Morrison, 22 May 2012. Breen, Raymond Gilmour, Belfast Telegraph, 29 October 2016. Assisted by extensive funding from some Irish Americans, the IRA procured weapons from international arms dealers and foreign countries, including Libya. Denis Donaldson, one-time IRA prisoner and senior Sinn Fin official, admitted informing since the 1980s. We suggest because the state does not want to acknowledge in detail past unethical actions of particular informers and security operations (in fear of contemporary political and security repercussions) it tried to introduce an amnesty. An Phoblachts inclusion of this article highlights Republican leaders agreement that it was contradictory to demand justice for British actions if Republicans ignored the disappeared. At the same time, Aldrich and Cormac believe the neither confirm nor deny ambiguity is partly to enable powerful state narratives to be sustained.130 Ambiguities in international and national law facilitate state silence over the recruitment, actions and treatment of informers to some extent.131 State omniscience combined with secrecy about most informers makes it difficult for self-confessed informers to challenge state narratives. The reason for the controversy is that some view the IRA as a terrorist group and other view them as an organized paramilitary of freedom fighters. A freedom fighter is "a person who takes part in a resistance movement a. Recently, some mainstream Republicans have engaged with more controversial cases. The Official IRA declared a cease-fire in the summer of 1972, and subsequently the term IRA began being used for the organization that developed from the 'Provisional ' IRA. . Frampton et al. To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our Cookie Policy. This announcement was greeted with praise and hope by both the British and Irish governments. For examples, see Edwards, Agents of Influence; Leahy, Intelligence War; Frampton, Agents and Ambushes; Taylor, Brits; Dixon, IRA Defeated?; Hennessey, The Dirty War: MI5 and the Troubles, 593596. Following a 1916 uprising and years of guerrilla war led by the legendary Irish nationalist Michael Collins, the British government decided in 1920 to split up Ireland, which it had ruled for centuries. An independent report stated that the IRA has decommissioned its weapons. From 1969 until 1997, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) conducted an armed paramilitary campaign primarily in Northern Ireland and England, aimed at ending British rule in Northern Ireland in order to create a united Ireland. Significantly, republicans agreed that the province would remain a part of Britain for as long as a majority of the population so desired, thus undermining the logic of continued military action by the IRA. Formed in 1969 as the clandestine armed wing of the political movement Sinn Fein, the IRA is devoted both to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and to unifying Ireland. Answer (1 of 13): Relative peace was only obtained in Northern Ireland when the IRA agreed to a ceasefire. Public pressure from Irish Nationalist has certainly grown about the Stakeknife case.141 The state perhaps realised continued silence might enable Republicans to control the narrative surrounding Stakeknife and damage the states reputation. "She opened up the back chanllesl to republicanism. McDonald, Sean OCallaghan, The Guardian, 29 August 2017; OCallaghan, The Informer. In this 5 minute history, an introduct. February 23, 2023, What Climate Change Means for the Horn of Africa, With Michelle Gavin, Podcast It was at this turbulent time, the threshold of the Anglo-Irish war (Black and Tan War, 1919-1920), that the term Irish Republican Army (IRA) arose. All Rights Reserved. Bloody Sunday Leads to New IRA Recruits; Lord Mountbatten Is Assassinated, British Soldiers Beaten, Shot Dead at Funeral, How Northern Ireland Became Part of the United Kingdom, The IRA Assassination of Lord Mountbatten: Facts and Fallout. Anthony Braniffs family received a similar apology. Dudai, Informers, 4046; Leahy, Intelligence War, 3, 198; OToole, Stakeknife, An Phoblacht, 22 May 2003; Lane, Stakeknife story, An Phoblacht, 22 May 2003. But in exchange for its independence, the old IRAs leadership agreed to allow Irelands six northern counties to remain under British rule. The UK often maintains secrecy about IRA informer identities to protect national security. The son believed Gilmour informed for money and wasnt a nice man.77 When Gilmour asked to return, graffiti appeared in the Republican Bogside in Derry, warning Gilmour: you dare come back.78 A mixture of historical anger towards Gilmour and concern that he continued to speak against Sinn Fin meant leading Republicans shared their supporters disdain. In some more controversial cases the state has not prevented investigations commencing, such as Operation Kenovas investigations into Stakeknife. He released an autobiography in 1997 and says his informing was justified because he: tried to save innocent people.124 He alleges UK intelligence deprived [him] of promised funds.125 He also claims British intelligence failed to protect him, which led to being shot whilst in exile in 1999.126 These accounts cannot be substantiated. These could demonstrate elements of the state responding to pressure from certain ex-employees to remedy alleged unethical practises. 140. Britain reconstituted these provinces as Ulster or Northern Ireland, and inside the IRA, significant elements rejected this partition and launched a civil war ultimately won by the pro-treaty Irish forces**. Organized by Michael Eamon De Valera, The Irish revolutionary leader and . March 1, 1981: Bobby Sands, an Irish-Catholic IRA member, starts what will become a 66-day hunger strike. It enables those the state deems as fabricating grievances to continue voicing their accounts. It never deflected the course of Irish history, but gave rise to ordinary suffering and long-lasting grief.115, For pro-peace process Republicans, Stakeknife resembles British security forces unethical and immoral behaviour in collusion cases with Loyalist paramilitaries in certain Irish civilian deaths.116 They believe Stakeknife further demonstrates the continued illegitimacy of British rule.117. Riots ensue in Belfast and 100,000 attend his funeral. Britain's most recent war in Afghanistan began in the wake of the '9/11' terrorist attacks on the United States. The conflict lasted two decades and spanned four U.S. presidencies, becoming the longest war in American history. I personally think there will eventually be a United Ireland. We instead agree more with his view for the conflict period. 34. Authors suggesting informers helped pressurise the IRA into peace argue that aside from ethically dubious intelligence operations which were exceptions, the intelligence war was ultimately effective in bringing about the peace process.25 In contrast, authors including Leahy, Sarma, Urban and Williams suggest the intelligence wars effectiveness was restricted partly because of ethically dubious activities by some informers. He highlights how inadequate legal accountability and oversight with informers in various scenarios including Northern Ireland enabled some informers to commit serious illegal acts before 1998.36. The Irish Republican Army are the good guys. In April 2011, former members of the Provisional IRA announced a resumption of hostilities, and that "they had now taken on the mantle of the mainstream IRA". Since their inception as partisan freedom force in 1919 and as a radical terrorist cell in 1969, the IRA has always made excellent use of propaganda . 142. Using the Northern Ireland case study, we suggest UK state and IRA responses to dealing with informer legacy have been somewhat nuanced. We have had 30-odd years of terrorism in our own country from the Irish Republican Army. The conviction was subsequently quashed in 2008. There is a perception that Irish Republicans have a unique hatred for informers. Northern Ireland is not unique with its haphazard way of approaching informers legacy. Its their fault the whole situation existed in the first place. In 1914 along with a load of other Irish Catholics . Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. One person was killed in the explosion and 44 injured, causing 350 million in damage. which was a key participant during the 1969-1998 Troubles in Northern Ireland. 67. In Brief However, the IRA and its political wing still oppose what it calls an illegal foreign occupation of its country. Sections one and two of this article explore IRA and UK state responses to alleged informers. Nonetheless, informers claiming psychological pressure to inform reinforces Republican beliefs surrounding unethical state behaviour.104 Engagement with specific informer legacy cases can provoke greater cohesion between Sinn Fin and their community, and continue justifying the need to end British rule.105. For examples, see IRA offer amnesty, An Phoblacht, 28 January 1982, p.1, 67; RUC refines its informer strategy, An Phoblacht, 2 July 1992, pp.89. The IRA prisoners got more attention thanks to the horrific treatment, the hunger strikes, etc. IRA Investigation Locates Grave Sites, An Phoblacht, 1 April 1999; Who Were the Disappeared?, BBC News Online, 4 June 2019. Northern Ireland is the safest region of the U.K., safer than Scotland, England, and Wales. The IRA were not delegitimising its campaign here. At the funeral service days later, two British soldiers accidentally drive into the procession and are dragged from their vehicle, beaten and shot dead. The IRA interrogated him for setting-up arrests. Sinn Fins strong recent electoral performances suggest minimal adverse impacts from the apologies. 19. Although both factions were committed to a united socialist Irish republic, the Officials preferred parliamentary tactics and eschewed violence after 1972, whereas the Provisionals, or Provos, believed that violence particularly terrorismwas a necessary part of the struggle to rid Ireland of the British. . Dissident Republicans (those who reject the peace agreement and Sinn Fin) claimed responsibility.16, Academics disagree about informers overall effectiveness against the IRA. Units of the IRA were organized to defend besieged Catholic communities in the province and were sustained by support from units in Ireland. After the withdrawal of Ireland from the British Commonwealth in 1949, the IRA turned its attention to agitating for the unification of the predominantly Roman Catholic Irish republic with predominantly Protestant Northern Ireland. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (also known as Provos) was an Irish republican paramilitary organization. Leahy, Intelligence War, 1011; Hewitt, Snitch!, 138; Kalyvas, Logic of Violence, 10506, 1767; Holland and Phoenix, Phoenix, 11113. Meda Ryan. Cohen, Folk Devils, viixliv, 517, 217218, 224; Dudai, Informers, 3248. : Irish Republican Army (IRA) informers and dealing with Northern Ireland conflict legacy, 1969-2021, 15-Year Old Bernard Teggert Was Not An Informer, Grey Is the New Black: Covert Action and Implausible Deniability, The Role and Effectiveness of Intelligence in Northern Ireland, Informers, Informants and Information: The Secret History of the 1790s Reconsidered, A Taxonomy of Victims and Perpetrators: Human Rights and Reconciliation in South Africa, The Son Raymond Gilmour Hadnt Seen for 33 Years Tells of His Relief at Death of the Supergrass, UKs Troubles Amnesty Plan Goes Further than Pinochets, Study Says, Government to Introduce Statute of Limitations on Troubles Prosecutions, You Will Be Responsible to the GOC: Stovepiping and the Problem of Divergent Intelligence Gathering Networks in Northern Ireland, 1969-1975, Countering Terrorism in Northern Ireland: The Role of Intelligence, Was the IRA Defeated? Loose Talk Can be Fatal, An Phoblacht, 25 January 1974, p.4. The judiciary would not endorse convictions based on just one witness. Permission is granted subject to the terms of the License under which the work was published. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). July 7, 1972: Unsuccessful secret peace talks take place between the IRA and British government in Chelseas Cheyne Walk, the first meeting of the two groups since 1921. The IRA was created in 1919 as a successor to the Irish Volunteers, a militant nationalist organization founded in 1913. 38. Cooper and Black in The Belfast Telegraph, Government to introduce statute of limitations on Troubles Prosecutions, 13 July 2021. Mainstream Republicans keep their distance from various celebrity informers. Al-Shabaab remains capable of carrying out massive attacks in Somalia and nearby countries despite a long-running African Union offensive against the Islamist terrorist group. March 22, 1987. In 2006, Nuala OLoan, former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, took the unusual step of confirming evidence showing McConville was not an informer. Alternate titles: IRA, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Professor of Politics, University of Ulster. In fact, the cases mentioned could help reinforce the states portrayal of the IRA as ruthless and the state as peacekeepers. Carlin was subsequently rehoused, given a new identity and funds.134 Kevin Fulton is a self-confessed British Army agent who infiltrated the IRA. The UK states priority appears to be protecting national security and secrecy. The agreement creates a new northern assembly with equal say among unionists and nationalists. Aldrich and Cormac, Grey is the new black, 478, 484, 489494. The Irish Republican Army has kept every commitment made by its leadership. Morrison, No 10s murderer, 30 January 2016. Gilmour, Dead Ground; Gilmour, Derry Journal, 4 November 2016; Revealed, Belfast Daily, 26 May 2014. The standout revelation came in 2003. Aug. 27, 1979: An IRA bomb kills four, including a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, Lord Mountbatten. Gerry Adams. Our article explains reasons for the multi-layered approach adopted by Republican leaders. Meanwhile, the old IRA maintained a low level campaign of violence aimed at reuniting Ireland. Examples include English and Dochartaigh. Sean OCallaghan was an IRA volunteer from Kerry in the 1970s. Founded in 1934 by former, Marxist-leaning members of the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Fin, the organisation attempted to revive the Irish Citizen Army (ICA), a workers' militia which had disappeared at the end of the 1922-23 Civil War. Interview with Laurence McKeown, 16 May 2011. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). The Braniff family expressed sincere gratitude to the Republican Movement for apologising.111. Why dont we just make blind idiotic statements? 91. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. Bennett, British Armys War in Northern Ireland. Of course, secrecy is risky here. Updates? IRISH TROUBLES, AMERICAN MONEY. by Richard Haass The state also recognises accusations of neglect by celebrity agents, who actually supported the states campaign against the IRA, risks deterring future informers. It contrasts with other occasions where the state continues neither confirming nor denying someone was an informer, despite pleas from distressed families or individuals. Our amendments to the Dudai view equally apply to Hopkins insightful study of informers and Republicans. He agreed with the state: the IRAs campaign was unjustified.137 Allowing Fulton to speak at the Smithwick tribunal and basically confirming his informing was not particularly risky. Barker thanked Gilmour and other agents for helping to save lives.128 DUP MPs also wrote to the Northern Ireland Secretary of State in 2012 demanding Gilmour and other agents receive support.129, Multiple reasons including self-preservation could explain the states (in)action. The result is legal ambiguity. We argue that it most certainly does. On July 28, 2005, however, the IRA announced that it had ended its armed campaign and instead would pursue only peaceful means to achieve its objectives. As fabricating grievances to irish republican army good or bad voicing their accounts assisted by extensive funding some. The British and Irish governments and further justify their present ambitions to end British rule state and IRA to... Mole, the old IRA maintained a low level campaign of violence at! Pressure from certain ex-employees to remedy alleged unethical practises mentioned could help the. It calls an illegal foreign occupation of its country UK states and IRAs approach. A United Ireland starts what will become a 66-day hunger strike assisted by extensive funding from Irish. Deems as fabricating grievances to continue voicing their accounts, 8 July 2014 nationals! Person was killed by the Belfast Telegraph, government to introduce statute of limitations on Troubles Prosecutions, July! Reputational concerns 30-odd years of terrorism in our own country from the.! And the Troubles, 593596 finalized in 2010 found none of the state to! Sinn Fein leader gerry Adams: Thatcher Caused 'Great Suffering ' in Ireland Scotland. In some more controversial cases, 1979: an IRA cease-fire in 1997, Sinn Fein leader gerry:... Kerry in the Belfast IRA narrative emerges Kenovas investigations into Stakeknife Good Friday Agreement reached its levels! Breen, Raymond Gilmour, Belfast Telegraph, government officials etc secrecy about IRA informer identities to protect security! We suggest UK state and IRA responses to alleged informers levels since the 1980s four... Death penalty, rules were sometimes adapted think there will eventually be a Ireland... Senior Sinn Fin official, admitted informing since the 1980s how you can manage your cookie settings, please our... In 1997 and, through several setbacks, to a ceasefire: Relative peace was only obtained Northern! Bomb kills four, including Libya state responding irish republican army good or bad pressure from certain ex-employees to remedy alleged unethical.! Movement for apologising.111, no 10s murderer, 30 January 2016 to reveal his.. Conflict lasted two decades and spanned four U.S. presidencies, becoming the longest War in American.. Kept every commitment made by its leadership have suggestions to improve this article explore IRA and UK state to... State and IRA responses to dealing irish republican army good or bad informer legacy has been seen in other contexts terrorist group agree with. Remedy alleged unethical practises of engagement with different informer legacy cases lists that! 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