Provisional Irish Republican Army

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The Provisional Irish Republican Army (more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the Ra) is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation. Since its emergence in 1970, its stated aim has been the reunification of Ireland which it believed could only be achieved by means of a terrorist campaign directed against British rule in Northern Ireland.

Like all other organisations calling themselves the IRA (see List of IRAs) and the Irish Defence Forces, the Provisionals refer to themselves in public announcements and internal discussions as Óglaigh na hÉireann (literally "Volunteers of Ireland").

According to the CAIN research project of Queens University Belfast, the Provisional IRA was responsible for the deaths of 1,706 people during the Troubles. This figure represents 48.4 percent of the total loss of life in the conflict. The largest group of its victims (497) were civilians, followed by members of the British Army (183 from the Ulster Defence Regiment and 455 from other regiments) and of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (271). The IRA was chiefly active in Northern Ireland, although it took its campaign to the Republic of Ireland, Britain, and to a much lesser extent, Holland and Germany.

The IRA lost 276 members during the Troubles. In 132 of these cases, IRA members caused their own deaths (as a result of hunger strikes, premature bombing accidents etc.), or were murdered on allegations of having worked for the security forces. These executions killed more IRA members than any other organisation did during the course of the Troubles.

Origins

The Provisional IRA has its ideological and organisational roots in the pre-1969 anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army. This organisation split into two groups at its Special Army Convention in December 1969, mainly over the issue of abstentionism and over the question on how to respond to the escalating violence in Northern Ireland. The two groups that emerged from the split became known as the Official IRA (which espoused a Marxist analysis of Irish partition) and the Provisional IRA.

Although a split in the IRA was inevitable given the irreconcilability of the two factions, there is considerable evidence to suggest that a number of ministers of the then Irish Fianna Fáil government attempted to help the fledgling Provisionals by providing them with arms. This gave rise to the Arms Crisis scandal of 1970.

The main figures in the early Provisional IRA were Seán Mac Stiofáin (who served as the organisation's first chief of staff), Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (the first president of Provisional Sinn Féin), Dáithí Ó Conaill, and Joe Cahill. All served on the first Provisional IRA Army Council. The Provisional appellation deliberately echoed the "Provisional Government" proclaimed during the 1916 Easter Rising.

The Provisionals maintained a number of the principles of the pre-1969 IRA. It considered British rule in Northern Ireland and government of the Republic of Ireland to be illegitimate. Like the pre-1969 IRA, it believed that that the IRA Army Council was the legitimate government of the Irish Republic Ireland. This belief was based on a complicated series of perceived political inheritances which constructed a legal continuity from the Second Dáil. These abstentionist principles were practically abandoned in 1986.

Initially, both the Official IRA and Provisional IRA espoused military means to pursue their goals. Unlike the Officials, however, the Provisionals called for a more aggressive campaign against the Northern Ireland state. While the Officials were initially the larger organisation and enjoying most support from the republican constituency, the Provisionals came to dominate, especially after the Official IRA declared a ceasefire in 1972.

Although the Provisional IRA had a political wing, Provisional Sinn Féin, the early Provisional IRA was extremely suspicious of political activity, arguing rather for the primacy of armed struggle.

Organisation

The IRA is organised hierarchically. It refers to its ordinary members as volunteers (or óglaigh in Irish). Up until the late 1970s, IRA volunteers were organised according to where they lived. Volunteers living in one area formed a company, which in turn was part of a battalion, which likewise made up brigades.

In the late 1970s, the geographical organisational principle was abandoned by the IRA in many areas in Northern Ireland owing to its inherent security vulnerability. In its place came smaller, tight-knit cells under the direct control of the IRA leadership.

All levels of the IRA are entitled to send delegates to IRA General Army Conventions (GACs). The GAC is the IRA's supreme decision-making authority. Before 1969, GACs met regularly. Since 1970 they have become less frequent, owing to the difficulty in organising such a large gathering of what is an illegal organisation.

The GAC in turn elects a 12-member IRA Executive, which in turn seven of its members to form the IRA Army Council. The seats vacated on the Executive are immediately refilled. For day-today purposes authority is vested in the Provisional Army Council (PAC), which as well as directing policy and taking major tactical decisions, appoints a chief of staff from one of its number or, less commonly, from outside its ranks. The chief of staff then appoints an adjutant general as well as a General Headquarters (GHQ), which consists of a number of individual departments. These departments are:

At a regional level, the IRA is divided into a Northern Command, which operates within the area of Northern Ireland, and a Southern Command, which operates in the Republic of Ireland. There are also organisational units in Britain and the United States.

Categorisation

Due to its frequent use of bombs, its killing of hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians, predominantly though not exclusively in Northern Ireland, its proscription, its alleged role in racketeering and the fact that the Unionist/Loyalist majority in Northern Ireland wanted to continue living under British rule, it was often described as a terrorist group

, although its supporters preferred the label freedom fighter.

IRA attacks on the British security forces (i.e. the British army and the RUC) and Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland could be described as guerrilla warfare, so "guerrilla" is a technically accurate term. This definition was criticised by Unionists and moderate Republicans as suggesting that, in the execution of a guerrilla war, the IRA's actions were legitimate.

Membership of the IRA remains illegal in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland, but PIRA prisoners convicted of offences committed before 1998 have been granted conditional early release as part of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement. In the United Kingdom a person convicted of membership of a "proscribed organisation", such as the PIRA, still faces imprisonment for up to 10 years.

According to reports from Reuters, the IRA killed almost 1,800 people, 1,200 of whom were British soldiers, RUC officers or unionist paramilitaries. 600 civilians also died at the hands of the IRA, mostly Catholics. Many of the civilians were deliberately killed, for having aided the British army or the RUC. No organisation has killed more IRA members than the IRA itself, as it always dealt with alleged informers ruthlessly, whether they were inside or outside their ranks.

Strength and support

The Provisional IRA has several hundred members, as well as tens of thousands of civilian sympathisers on Ireland, mostly in Ulster. In 2005, Irish Minister for Justice Michael McDowell told the Dáil that the organization had "between 1,000 and 1,500" active members . However, the movement's appeal was hurt badly by more notorious PIRA bombings widely perceived as atrocities, such as the killing of civilians attending a Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph in Enniskillen in 1987 (the IRA maintain that their target was a contingent of British soldiers due to pass the cenotaph), and the murder of two children when a bomb went off in Warrington, which led to tens of thousands of people descending on O'Connell Street in Dublin to call for an end to the IRA's campaign of violence. In the 1990s the IRA moved to attacking economic targets, such as the Baltic Exchange and Canary Wharf, the latter of which killed two Pakistanis. The IRA had an official policy of bombing only targets in England (not the Celtic countries of Scotland and Wales), although they detonated a bomb at an oil terminal in the Shetland Isles in 1981 while Queen Elizabeth II was performing the official opening of the terminal.

In recent times the movement's strength has been weakened by operatives leaving the organisation to join hardline splinter groups such as the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA. According to McDowell, these organizations have little more than 150 members each . The PIRA's associated political party, Sinn Féin, until recently received the support of only a minority of nationalists in Northern Ireland, and very few voters in the Republic of Ireland. Sinn Féin now has 24 members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (out of 108), five Westminster MPs (out of 18 from Northern Ireland) and five Republic of Ireland TDs (out of 166). This increase is widely perceived as support for the IRA ceasefire and some commentators maintain this support would decrease if the IRA returned to violence.

In the United States in November 1982, five men were acquitted of smuggling arms to the IRA after they revealed the CIA had approved the shipment (although the CIA officially denied this). The IRA has also, on occasion, received assistance from foreign governments and terrorist groups, including considerable training and arms from Libya and assistance from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). U.S. support has been weakened by the War against Terrorism, the events of the 11 September 2001 and the trial in Colombia of three men (two known members of the IRA and the Sinn Féin representative in Cuba), for allegedly training Colombian FARC guerrillas

. The organisation has also raised funds through smuggling, racketeering and bank robberies.

In February 2005 prominent IRA members were denounced by relatives of Robert McCartney, leading to Gerry Adams advising republicans to give evidence against members of the IRA involved in the murder. Three IRA members were expelled from the organisation following the murder and an offer was made by the organisation to shoot those responsible for the killing. The family of Mr. McCartney allege that, notwithstanding public calls for information by Sinn Féin leaders, noone has come forward with information to allow a prosecution to go further. They also allege that republican intimidation of witnesses has continued and that even the friend of Mr. McCartney who was stabbed with him is too afraid to make a police statement.

The Belfast Agreement

The IRA ceasefire in 1997 formed part of a process that led to the 1998 Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The Agreement has among its aims that all paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland cease their activities and disarm by May 2000. This is one of many Agreement aims that have yet to be realised.

Calls from Sinn Féin have led the IRA to commence disarming in a process that has been overviewed by Canadian General John de Chastelain's decommissioning body in October 2001. However, following the collapse of the Stormont power-sharing government in 2002, which was partly triggered by allegations that republican spies were operating within Parliament Buildings and the Civil Service (although no convictions came from the widely-publicised police operation), the IRA temporarily broke contact with General de Chastelain. It is expected that, if and when power-sharing resumes, the IRA disarmament process will begin again, though unionists consider it to be behind schedule. Increasing numbers of people, from the Ulster Unionists under David Trimble and the Social Democratic and Labour Party under Mark Durkan to the Irish Government under Bertie Ahern and the mainstream Irish media, have begun demanding not merely decommissioning but the wholesale disbandment of the PIRA.

In December 2004, attempts to persuade the IRA to disarm entirely collapsed when the Democratic Unionist Party, under Ian Paisley, insisted on photographic evidence. The IRA stated that this was an attempt at humiliation. The Irish Government (generally in private), and Justice Minister Michael McDowell (in public) also insisted that there would need to be a complete end to IRA activity. This is felt by many to have been a major reason for the collapse of this deal.

At the beginning of February 2005, the IRA declared that it was withdrawing from the disarmament process, but in July 2005 it declared that its campaign of violence was over, and that transparent mechanisms would be used, under the de Chastelain process, to satisfy the Ulster communities that it was disarming totally. It is not yet clear however if the process the IRA intends to use will satisfy the demands by the DUP for transparency.

Activities

The Provisional IRA's activities included bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, punishment beatings of civilians accused of criminal behaviour, robberies and extortion. Previous targets have included the British military, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and Loyalist militants — against all of whom IRA gunmen and bombers fought a guerrilla war.

The IRA also targeted certain British Government officials, unionist politicians and civilians in both Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Many civilians assisting or perceived to have been assisting the security forces were killed in Northern Ireland, whilst many British civilians were killed during the IRA bombing campaign in England, which was often directed against civilian targets such as pubs and public transport, and targets of an economic significance such as shops and Canary Wharf.

One of their most famous victims was the uncle of Prince Philip, Lord Louis Mountbatten, killed along with two children and others on 27 August 1979 in County Sligo, by an IRA bomb placed in his boat.

Also many Catholic civilians have been killed by the IRA for collaboration with the British security forces (i.e. the British army or the RUC). The IRA also summarily executed or otherwise punished suspected drug dealers and other suspected criminals in the past, sometimes after kangaroo trials. IRA members suspected of being British or Irish government informers were also executed, often after interrogation and torture and a kangaroo trial.

Members of the Garda Síochána (the Republic of Ireland's police force) have also been killed; most notorious was the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, who was killed by sustained machine-gun fire while sitting in his car, after the commencement of the IRA ceasefire, while escorting a post office delivery. IRA bombing campaigns have been conducted against rail and London Underground (subway) stations, pubs and shopping areas on the island of Great Britain, and a British military facility on Continental Europe.

There was also evidence of other non-political activities linked to the organisation. For instance, in the 1970s, IRA members kidnapped the racehorse Shergar and attempted to ransom it. Activities such as these were linked to the IRA's fundraising.

Although the PIRA only formally announced an end to its armed campaign in 2005, it had been on ceasefire since 1997 (although hardline splinter groups such as the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA continue their campaigns). It previously observed a cease-fire from 1 September 1994 to February 1996, after the Downing Street Declaration, although this was ended when the British government refused to talk to Sinn Féin.

End of the armed campaign

On July 28, 2005, the Provisional IRA Army Council announced an end to its armed campaign. In a statement read by Seanna Walsh, the organization stated that it has instructed its members to dump all weapons and not to engage in "any other activities whatsoever" apart from assisting “the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means". Furthermore, the organization authorised its representatives to engage immediately with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning to verifiably put its arms beyond use "in a way which will further enhance public confidence and to conclude this as quickly as possible".

This is not the first time that organisations styling themselves IRA have issued orders to dump arms. After its defeat in the Irish Civil War in 1924 and at the end of its unsuccessful Border Campaign in 1962, the IRA Army Council issued similar orders. However, this is the first time that any organisation styling itself the IRA has voluntarily decided to destroy its weaponry completely, instead of the previous partial disarmament that has taken place earlier in the current peace process.

Notable events

1971: First British soldier on security duties, Gunner Curtis, killed by the IRA in current campaign in North Belfast. Three unarmed British soldiers abducted while off duty in Belfast and subsequently shot. IRA suspected but responsibility never admitted.
1971: Mother of ten, Jean McConville, is abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA, suspected of informing the British Army of IRA activities. The IRA would deny any involvement in the killing until the 1990s, when it would acknowledge its action and reveal the whereabouts of the body.
January 1972: Bloody Sunday Unrest in Derry/Londonderry culminates in action by British Paratroopers. The shooting by the soldiers resulted in the deaths of thirteen unarmed protestors. The resulting outrage gains the PIRA support from much more of the nationalist community than it previously enjoyed.
21 July 1972: On "Bloody Friday" 22 bombs kill nine and seriously injure 130. 30 years later the IRA would officially apologise for this set of attacks.
4 February 1974: A bomb planted on a coach carrying British army personnel and their wives and families explodes as it is travelling along the M62 motorway at Birkenshaw. Twelve people are killed; nine soldiers and the wife and two young sons of one of them.
1974: The Guildford pub bombings kills five and injures 182. The motive for the bombing was that the pub attacked was frequented by soldiers. Four people, dubbed the "Guildford Four", would be convicted for the bombing and imprisoned for life. Fifteen years later Lord Lane of the Court of Appeal would overturn their convictions noting "the investigating officers must have lied". Some had spent the entire fifteen years in prison, years after the IRA men who carried out the attacks admitted them to British police. No police officer was ever charged.
1974: In the Birmingham Pub Bombings bombs in two pubs kill 19. The "Birmingham Six" would be tried for this and convicted. Many years later, after new evidence of police fabrication and suppression of evidence, their convictions would be quashed and they would be released. The real bombers had admitted responsibility for the bombings, and this was ignored by British police.
1974: In December a bomb explodes on the first floor of Harrods department store in Knightsbridge. Part of the store is gutted but there are no injuries.
1975: The killing of businessman Ross McWhirter, who had offered reward money to people who informed on the IRA.
1975: The Balcombe Street Siege.
1976: An IRA landmine kills Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the newly appointed British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, resulting in the declaration of a State of Emergency in the Republic. The IRA also threatens to kidnap or kill Irish cabinet ministers and the President of Ireland.
22 March 1979: Sir Richard Sykes, British Ambassador to The Netherlands is assassinated in front of his house in The Hague.
1979: An IRA bomb kills Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the British Queen's first cousin, members of his family and a local child off the Irish coast. On the same day the IRA kill 18 British soldiers at Narrow Water, near Newry, County Down; in an attack described by the British government as "a classic guerilla attack", they first plant one bomb, which kills six, and then begin firing with sniper rifles at soldiers sheltered near a nearby gate where a second bomb explodes, killing 12 others. During an Irish visit, Pope John Paul II calls for the IRA campaign of violence to come to an end.
1981: IRA prisoner Bobby Sands, imprisoned in connection with his involvement in an attack involving a bomb and subsequent gun battle, is elected Member of Parliament for the Northern Ireland constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone in a by-election. The moderate nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party decides not to run a candidate (which would have split the nationalist vote), in protest of the British government's handling of the protest. This left Sands as the main nationalist candidate. Sands had been on a hunger strike for "Prisoner of War" status for 41 days prior to being elected. He died 23 days later. It was estimated that 100,000 people attended his funeral. IRA prisoners were awarded political status by Margaret Thatcher's government, after nine more deaths by hunger strike.
1981: The PIRA kill Ulster Unionist Party Belfast MP Rev Robert Bradford along with the caretaker of a community centre. Irish Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald and former taoiseach and opposition leader Charles Haughey condemn the killings in Dáil Éireann. SDLP party leader John Hume accuses the Provisionals of waging a campaign of "sectarian genocide".
10 October 1981: a bomb blast on Ebury Bridge Road in London kills two people and injures 39.
26 October 1981: a bomb explodes at a Wimpy Bar in Oxford Street London killing the bomb disposal officer trying to defuse it.
20 July 1982: In Hyde Park, a bomb kills two members of the Household Cavalry performing ceremonial duties in the park. Seven of their horses are also killed. The deaths of the horses receive almost as much coverage in the English tabloids as those of the men. On the same day another device kills seven bandsmen the Royal Green Jackets as it explodes underneath the bandstand in Regents Park as they played music to spectators.
1983: A Harrods department store bomb planted by the IRA during Christmas shopping season kills six (three police) and wounds 90.
September 25 1983: 38 IRA prisoners escape from the maximum security Long Kesh prison. One guard is killed.
1984: In the Brighton hotel bombing a bomb in the Grand Hotel kills five in a failed attempt to assassinate members of the British cabinet. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher narrowly escapes.
1986: The SAS ambush two IRA cells as they attempted to attack an Royal Ulster Constabulary police station in Loughall. Eight IRA men are killed. Sinn Féin later claim that they were "brutally executed without the right to a trial".
1987: The SAS attack an IRA cell that were planning to detonate a bomb near a public military parade in Gibraltar. Three men and a woman, all unarmed, are killed. Although initial reports made clear the three terrorists had been shot dead after planting a massive car bomb, within 24 hours, the Foreign Secretary, Geoffrey Howe, was forced to admit there had been no car bomb. However, a car used by the bombers was found in Marbella two days after the killings containing 140 lb of Semtex with a device timed to go off during the changing of the guard.
1987: In the Enniskillen "Massacre" the IRA bombing of a Remembrance Day parade kills 11 civilians and injures 63. Among the dead is nurse Marie Wilson, whose father, Gordon Wilson, would go on to become a leading campaigner for an end to violence in Northern Ireland. The IRA would later state that their target was a colour guard of British soldiers, and stand down the local brigade. On Remembrance Day 1997 the leader of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams, formally apologised for the bombing.
1989: Ten Royal Marine bandsmen are killed and 22 injured in the bombing of their base in Deal in Kent.
1990: Car bombings in Northern Ireland kill seven and wound 37.
27 May 1990: Two Australian tourists shot dead in Holland, having been mistaken for off-duty British soldiers.
July 20 1990: London Stock Exchange, the IRA exploded a large bomb at the London Stock Exchange causing massive damage.
30 July 1990 Ian Gow MP is killed when a device explodes under his car as he is leaving his home.
September 19 1990: The IRA attempted to kill Air Chief Marshall Sir Peter Terry at his Staffordshire home. Sir Peter had been a prime target since his days as Governor of Gibraltar, where he signed the documents allowing the SAS to pursue IRA terrorists. The revenge attack took place at 9pm at the Main Road house. The gunman opened fire through a window hitting Sir Peter at least 9 times and injuring his wife, Lady Betty Terry, near the eye. The couple's daughter, Liz, was found suffering from shock. Sir Peter's face had to be rebuilt as the shots shattered Sir Peter's face and 2 high-velocity bullets lodged a fraction of an inch from his brain. England
1990: A British Army Artillery officer is killed by the IRA in Dortmund in the then West Germany.
18 February 1991: A bomb explodes at Victoria Station. One man is killed and 38 people injured.
1991: Mortar attack on members of the British Cabinet and the Prime Minister, John Major in Cabinet session at Number 10 Downing Street at the height of a huge security clampdown amid the Gulf War is launched by the IRA. The Cabinet collectively got under the table to protect themselves.
1991: Two IRA members are killed in St Albans when their bomb detonates prematurely.
28 February 1992: A bomb explodes at London Bridge railway station injuring 29 people.
10 April 1992: A large bomb explodes at 30 St Mary Axe in the City of London killing three people and injuring 91. Many buildings are heavily damaged and the Baltic Exchange is completely destroyed.
12 October 1992: A device explodes in the gents' toilet of the Sussex Arms public house in Covent Garden killing one person and injuring four others.
1992: Eight builders are killed by an IRA bomb on their way to work at an army base near Omagh.
1993: Two IRA bombs at opposite ends of a shopping street in Warrington, timed to go off within minutes of each other, kill two children.
1993: The PIRA detonates a huge truck bomb in the City of London at Bishopsgate, which kills two and causes around £350m of damage, including the near destruction of St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate.
1993: A bomb at a fish and chip shop underneath a UDA office on the Protestant Shankill Road in Belfast detonates prematurely, killing ten, including the bomber and two children.
8 March 1994: Heathrow Airport, four mortar shells were fired toward Heathrow Airport from a car at night following telephone warnings in the name of the IRA, but police said none of the shells exploded and no injuries were reported.
10 March 1994: Heathrow Airport evacuated staff and passengers from Terminal Four and closed its southern runway after the second attack on the airport in 30 hours. No one was hurt when four mortar shells were fired.
13 March 1994: Heathrow Airport, the IRA launched their third mortar attack on Heathrow defying tightening security. They fired four mortar bombs from a heavily camouflaged launcher buried in scrubland close to the southern perimeter. Later that night both Heathrow and Gatwick airports were closed for 2 hours after renewed coded telephoned bomb threats were received.
1 September 1994: The PIRA declares the first of two ceasefires in the 1990s.
10 February 1996: The IRA ends its 1994 ceasefire, killing two civilians in a bomb adjacent to the South Quay DLR station in London's Docklands.
15 February 1996: A 5 lb bomb placed in a phone booth is disarmed by Police on the Charing Cross Road in London.
18 February 1996: An improvised high explosive device detonates prematurely on a bus travelling along Aldwych in central London, killing Edward O'Brien, the IRA operative transporting the device and injuring eight others.
15 June 1996: The IRA detonates a 3,300 lb (1,500 kg) bomb in Manchester, injuring 206 people and damaging 70,000 square metres of retail and office space.
7 October 1996: the IRA kills one soldier and injures 31 people at the British Army's Northern Ireland HQ, Thiepval Barracks.
19 July 1997: The IRA declares a second ceasefire.
2 February 2005: The IRA issues a statement summarizing their "ambitious initiatives designed to develop or save the peace process", including three occasions in which they had complied with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning in putting weapons "beyond use". The statement of 2 February goes on to say, "At this time it appears that the two governments are intent on changing the basis of the peace process. They claim that 'the obstacle now to a lasting and durable settlement… is the continuing terrorist and criminal activity of the IRA'. We reject this. It also belies the fact that a possible agreement last December was squandered by both governments pandering to rejectionist unionism instead of upholding their own commitments and honouring their own obligations." The statement concluded with two points: "We are taking all our proposals off the table." and "It is our intention to closely monitor ongoing developments and to protect to the best of our ability the rights of republicans and our support base."
3 February 2005: Following statements from the British and Irish governments, claiming that the new IRA statement was no cause for alarm, the IRA issues a second two-sentence statement: "The two governments are trying to play down the importance of our statement because they are making a mess of the peace process. Do not underestimate the seriousness of the situation."
10 February 2005: The Independent Monitoring Commission reports that it firmly supports the PSNI and Garda assessments that the PIRA was responsible for the Northern Bank robbery and recommends financial and political sanctions against Sinn Féin.
27 February 2005: Republicans in East Belfast hold a rally to demand justice following the murder of Robert McCartney.
17 March 2005: Sinn Féin is boycotted by United States president George W. Bush, Senator Edward Kennedy and leading Irish Americans during St. Patrick's Day celebrations because of the involvement of IRA members in the murder of Robert McCartney.
6 April 2005: Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams calls on the IRA to initiate consultations "as quickly as possible" to move from being a paramilitary organisation to one committed to purely non-military methods.
25 May 2005: British Intelligence claims that the IRA are still recruiting and training new members. A large number of new recruits are being trained in firearms and explosives and are also involved in "dry runs", practicing the targeting of their enemies.
28 July 2005: The IRA release a statement that it is ending its armed campaign and will verifiably put its arms beyond use.

P. O'Neill

The PIRA traditionally uses a well-known signature in its public statements, which are all issued under the pseudonymous name of "P. O'Neill" of the "Irish Republican Publicity Bureau, Dublin".

According to Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, it was Seán Mac Stiofáin, as chief of staff of the Provisionals, who invented the name. However, under his usage, the name was written and pronounced according to Irish orthography and pronunciation as "P. Ó Néill". Ó Brádaigh also maintains that there is no particular significance to the name, thus discounting claims that it is a reference to Sir Phelim O'Neill, the executed leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

Unionists have sarcastically commented that the "P" actually stands for Pinocchio, given the factual unreliability of some of P. O'Neill's statements over the years.

Infiltration

The IRA has often been infiltrated by British Intelligence agents, and in the past many IRA members have been informers. IRA members suspected of being informants were usually executed after an IRA 'court-martial'.

In May 2003 a number of newspapers named Freddie Scappaticci as the alleged identity of the British Force Research Unit's most senior informer within the Provisional IRA, code-named Steakknife, who is thought to have been head of the Provisional IRA's internal security force, charged with rooting out and executing informers. Scappaticci denies that this is the case and is taking legal action to challenge this claim.

Footnotes

The PIRA is described as a terrorist organisation by the governments of the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Germany and Italy, the latter three of which have alleged the existence of IRA links with terrorist organisations within their own jurisdictions including ETA and the Red Brigades. It has also been described as such by the European Union. It is described as a terrorist organisation by An Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, (PSNI). It is generally called a terrorist organisation by the following media outlets: The Irish Times, the Irish Independent, the Irish Examiner, the Sunday Independent, the Evening Herald, the Sunday Tribune, Ireland on Sunday, the Sunday Times and all the tabloid press. On the island of Ireland among political parties Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats who together form a coalition government in the Republic of Ireland refer to it as a terrorist organisation, as do the main opposition parties Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Green Party, and the Workers Party, while in Northern Ireland it is described as a terrorist movement by the mainly nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), the cross community Alliance Party, and from the unionist community the Ulster Unionist Party, the Democratic Unionist Party and the Progressive Unionist Party. Members of the IRA are tried in the Republic in the Special Criminal Court, a court set up by emergency legislation and which is described in its functioning as dealing with terrorism. On the island of Ireland the only political party to suggest that the IRA is not a terrorist organisation is Sinn Féin, currently the second largest political party in Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin is widely regarded as the political wing of the IRA, but the party insists that the two organisations are separate. Peter Mandelson, a former Northern Ireland Secretary (a member of the British cabinet with responsibility for Northern Ireland) contrasted the activities of the IRA and those of Al-Qaeda, describing the latter as "terrorists" and the former as "freedom fighters".
- The United States Department of State and the European Union have taken the Provisional IRA off their lists of terrorist organisations due to the fact that there is a cease-fire. However, the RIRA and CIRA are still listed.
These men were originally acquitted of aiding FARC and convicted solely on the lesser charge of possessing false passports; however the acquittal was overturned on appeal. The three men disappeared while on bail and their whereabouts are still not known. The case was controversial for several reasons, including the heavy reliance on the testimony of a former FARC member and dubious forensic evidence. There was also considerable political pressure from the right-wing government of Alvaro Uribe, members of which had called for a guilty verdict.

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