The Irish Republican Army and Other Terrorist Groups of Ireland

The Irish Republican Army

The Irish Republican Army (a.k.a. IRA, Provisional Irish Republican Army [PRIA], the Provos) is an armed branch of Sinn Feiners established in 1969 for clandestine operations. Sinn Fein is a political and militant movement dedicated to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and uniting Ireland. Activities of the IRA include bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and extortion. The IRA is organized into tightly knit cells in Northern Ireland, Ireland, Britain, and Western Europe, and has received considerable training and arms from Libya and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Funding for their activities comes from a variety of groups both inside and outside Northern Ireland, including sympathizers in the US. Since Good Friday in 1998 Sinn Fein and the IRA have observed a ceasefire.

The Real IRA

The Real IRA (a.k.a. RIRA, True IRA), formed in early 1998, and led by former IRA quartermaster general, Michael McKevitt, is a hard-line terrorist group that opposes the ceasefire agreed to by Sinn Fein. The majority of RIRA members are former IRA members with significant training and experience in terrorist activities and bomb making. Their primary targets are British military and law enforcement officials, although Northern Ireland civilians are also targets. They claim responsibility for the Omagh, Northern Ireland car bombing incident in August 1998 that killed 29 and injured 370 people.
 
After the Omagh bombing, the RIRA called a cessation of operations but resumed attacks in 2000 and 2001 and is suspected of various bombings, including the April 14, 2001 bombing of a North London post office.
 
In 2002, senior members of the Real IRA announced that the group would disband, but many members were unhappy with the announcement.

The Continuity Irish Republican Army

The Continuity Irish Republican Army (a.k.a. CIRA, Continuity Army Council, Republican Sinn Fein) is also a splinter group of the IRA. The CIRA split in 1986 in a dispute over the attendance of elected Sinn Fein representatives at Dáil Eireann (the lower house of parliament of the Republic of Ireland). CIRA targets include British military and security and Northern Ireland loyalists. While the CIRA doesn't have the presence or the backing to make them capable of launching attacks on the British mainland, it is thought that they have acquired arms and other terrorist materials from the Balkans in cooperation with the RIRA.
 
On July 13, 2004, the United States designated the CIRA as a terrorist group.

Irish Loyalist Terrorist Groups

Irish Loyalist terrorist groups include the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), the Orange Volunteers (OV), and the Red Hand Defenders (RHD). All of these groups also oppose the current ceasefire.

The LVF, the largest of the loyalist terrorist groups, targets Catholic politicians and civilians, as well as Protestant politicians who endorse the Northern Ireland peace process. LVF attacks, which have included bombings, kidnappings, and shootings, are known to be particularly brutal. They have attacked Catholic civilians who do not have apparent political or terrorist affiliations. In July 1997 they murdered an 18-year-old Catholic girl because she had a Protestant boyfriend. On May 15, 1998, the LVF announced a unilateral cease-fire and in December of that year even decommissioned a small amount of weapons. In 2000, the LVF threatened to resume killing Catholics. Despite the cease-fire, the LVF still continues certain operations under the guise of the Red Hand Defenders.

The RHD and OV are much smaller loyalist parties, whose members are, nonetheless, well experienced in terrorist tactics and bomb-making. The RHD are responsible for the March 15, 1999 car bombing murder of prominent Catholic nationalist lawyer and human rights campaigner Rosemary Nelson. In recent years, the RHD have carried out numerous bombing and arson attacks, including the bombing of prison official in North Belfast in early 2002. The OV declared a ceasefire in 2000 but maintains the ability to conduct bombings and arson.