"It was a picture of the dissidents' worst nightmares. The GAA was defining the police in Northern Ireland as "us" and Ronan Kerr's killers as "them"." Fintan O'Toole muses on the role of the Gaelic Athletic Association in defining and redefining what it is to be Irish.
posted by rodgerd on May 8, 2011 - 23 comments

Peter Taylor (wiki) is a British journalist and documentary maker. In the late nineties, he published three books looking at the troubles in Northern Ireland from the perspective of the three main elements involved. These were turned into three documentary series. Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein [episode 1, part 1], Loyalists [episode 1, part 1], and Brits: The War Against the IRA [episode 1, part 1] are available in 52 parts on the YouTube channel of user 26and6equals1.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian on Nov 10, 2010 - 10 comments

"Traitors" - Martin McGuinness' description of those who carried out attacks on a PSNI member in Craigavon and British solidiers in Antrim: "These people - they are traitors to the island of Ireland. They have betrayed the political desires, hopes and aspirations of all of the people who live on this island. And they don't deserve to be supported by anyone." [more inside]
posted by tiny crocodile on Mar 10, 2009 - 36 comments

The Irish Republican Army ceases, for all means and purposes, to be an army. And Ian Paisley, predictably, is unhappy about that.
posted by runningdogofcapitalism on Sep 27, 2005 - 25 comments

Were these guys birdwatchers, or IRA members training FARC guerillas in improvised explosive techniques? Suddenly, mysteriously back on Irish soil, the "Colombia 3" - James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley - have caused a shitstorm for Bertie Ahern and his ministers; especially in the wake of the newly announced IRA disarmament.
posted by punkbitch on Aug 11, 2005 - 17 comments

"It's time for the IRA to go out of business." So says a US envoy after the IRA offers to kill suspected murderers of a Belfast man (hoping to mollify claims that they held up investigation of the murder). Britain and the US have called for an end to the IRA, as "criminality will not be tolerated" in a democratic party. Meanwhile, one suspect turned himself in. Things aren't looking bright for St. Patrick's Day.
posted by NickDouglas on Mar 9, 2005 - 35 comments

I have been in torture photos, too. Gerry Adams speaks out. "News of the ill-treatment of prisoners in Iraq created no great surprise in republican Ireland. We have seen and heard it all before. Some of us have even survived that type of treatment. Suggestions that the brutality in Iraq was meted out by a few miscreants aren't even seriously entertained here. We have seen and heard all that before as well. But our experience is that, while individuals may bring a particular impact to their work, they do so within interrogative practices authorised by their superiors."
posted by sunexplodes on Jun 5, 2004 - 9 comments

Sinn Fein "cashing in on the victims"? As Sinn Fein launch their new website they have been accused of "promoting the IRA and cashing in on violence". From a party which is bound by the Good Friday Agreement, is it acceptable to promote goods associated with the atrocities committed in Northern Ireland since the 1960's?
posted by knapah on Jul 23, 2003 - 10 comments

Apparently, over the past months, the IRA has been secretly rearming itself. and many of the arms seem to be coming from the U.S.. Post 9/11, peace seemed to be coming to Ireland, but now it appears that just like in the Middle East we're back to business as usual. I believe in a united Ireland, myself, but I don't want a return to the barbarism of the past 30-odd years. The U.S. has pledged neutrality in Ireland, but I honestly dont know if that's the best course. I was honestly hoping that the Emerald Isle would set an example for the other conflicted nations but it seems it's not to be.
posted by jonmc on Apr 21, 2002 - 18 comments

Sinn Fein calls for IRA Disarmament
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams urged the Irish Republican Army on Monday to begin disarming to save Northern Ireland's peace process.
posted by jbelshaw on Oct 22, 2001 - 8 comments

So where does the US stand with the Irish after tonight's speech? I mean, we're going to go after all terrorists and all countries that harbor them, right?
posted by dopamine on Sep 20, 2001 - 27 comments

It was "clearly a big device" , which contained high explosives. Set by what appears to be the IRA outside of the BBC headquarters in London. Clues were given via coded messages phoned into a hospital and an "unnamed charitable trust" much in the same way as when the M16 building was attacked with a rocket last year. Forget Osama bin-laden. The Irish can be dangerous as well.
posted by liquidgnome on Mar 3, 2001 - 20 comments

The new Northern Ireland government teeters on the brink of collapse over Provisional IRA weapons decommissioning, while the rest of Europe worries about Joerg Haider. I find it interesting that some worry about how a government will be formed, and others worry if they will have a government at all.
posted by tomcosgrave on Feb 2, 2000 - 1 comment