Essay on Bloody Sunday

In August 1998 the IRA claimed responsibility for a car bomb which killed 28 and injured 220 in the Northern Irish Town of Omagh. The bombing was the worst terrorist activity in nearly three decades for Ireland. While claiming responsibility for the blast an IRA representative anonymously told an Irish newspaper “Despite media reports, it was not our intention at any time to kill any civilians. It was a commercial target, part of the ongoing war against the Brits. We offer our apologies to the civilians,”

After the first world war the leaders of europe came together to discuss the boundaries of europe. British rule decided to separate ireland into two sides. North Ireland was created when the british government of Ireland Act in 1920 divided Ireland into two areas; the Irish Free State and the Northern Ireland Roman Catholics, who made up around one-third of the population of Northern Ireland, were largely opposed to the separation. The British took over , but only after many revolts and riots against them from the people of ireland. In 1969 the IRA (Irish Republican Army) was formed. They were a Catholic Irish nationalist group that used guerrilla tactics like bombings and assassinations to oppose British rule and oppression in Ireland. Their main goal was to fight the british that took over their home. The IRA would Fight using guerilla and terrorist tactics including bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, punishment beatings, extortion, smuggling, and robberies. But over time the IRA became more of a dangerous militia then patriots defending their home.

Although much of the blame for the Troubles in Northern Ireland has fallen on the IRA as a terrorist group, the British government was responsible for numerous acts of state terrorism in the period. As a result of their frustration towards the situation in the North and their desperation to stop the IRA from wreaking havoc, the British Army and police acted in ways that one would not expect from the representatives of a world power in the late twentieth century. The British government refused to recognize the legitimacy of the IRA, and instead of combating them as a military enemy, often resorted to acts of terrorism of their own. These instances of state terrorism were often a result of pent up frustration and desperation as

The essay explains how the Irish War of Independence was marked by terrorism meant to counter the Black and Tans who were the British lethal forces. The discussion explains how black and Tans used excessive forces on innocent civilians where robbery, murder, and looting were common. Subsequently, the Ireland Republican Army adopted terrorism as part of their offensive against the British forces. The essay highlights that the use of terrorism was necessary due to lethal forces that were used by the Britons. This is because it managed to counter excessive forces used by Black and Tans who were also terrorizing them.

In 1969, the more traditionalist republican members split off into the Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin. The Provisional IRA operated mostly in Northern Ireland, using violence against the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army, and British institutions and economic targets. They also killed members of the Irish Army and the Garda Síochána, which was against one of their standing orders.

This particular ambush was said to be one of the first major ambushes under the command of Tom Barry and his West Cork Flying column. One will be comparing and contrasting the witness’ statements and looking at the ideology and use of Guerilla Warfare in Ireland during this period. • A brief background of the ambush,

In midsummer 1943, a year before the Anglo-American invasion of Normandy, Adolf Hitler’s Wehrmacht, still occupied all the territory it had gained in the blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939-41 and most of its Russian conquests of 1941-42. Germany also retained a foothold on the coast of North Africa, acquired when Germany assisted Italy in 1941. The Russian counteroffensives at Stalingrad and Kursk pushed back the perimeter of Hitler’s Europe in the east. Yet, Hitler and his allies still controlled the whole of mainland Europe, except for neutral Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Sweden. The Nazi war economy was eclipsed by the war economy of America but was still larger then Britain and the Soviet Union, except in key areas of tank and aircraft

Throughout the history of the IRA, and their subsequent groups, leaders have renounced violence only to have members splinter off and form another terrorist organization to further their campaigns through violence. However, the Omagh bombing significantly decreased the support and sympathy many Irish

In 1968, the Northern Ireland parliament had been dominated by unionists for over fifty years. Its attempts to solve social and political ills, such as institutional discrimination against Catholics, were too slow for nationalists and republicans and too quick for many unionists. This gave rise to growing tension and violence between the two communities (www.bbc.co.uk). It included an armed insurgency against the state some forms of the Catholic or nationalist population, which mainly were the Irish Republican Army (IRA), though it also included other republican factions, with the idea focused on creating a united independent Ireland (Dorney, 2015). The Ira were in constant battle with forces of the state.

During WWII, the “Irregulars” sought after assistance from Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. Once the Nazi’s were unable to help any further and the withdrawal of Ireland from the British Commonwealth in 1949, the IRA started to use religion as a catalyst to re-invigorate their cause, pitting Roman Catholic against Protestants. After years of fighting, the IRA had an evolution or adaptation. They split into two factions, the “Officials”, part of the political party Sinn Fein and the “Provisionals” or “Provos”. The Officials used politics to fight the Brits. While the Provos believed that violence was the only means to get the job done. They used bombings, assassinations, and ambushes in their campaign for freedom. The Provos later evolved into cells to deter infiltration from the British. For years they brought the fight to the British in Northern Ireland and England. The Provos then evolved again into organized crime. They were involved in extortion, racketeering, and arms dealing. Evolution or adaptation was a major part of why the IRA was able to keep the fight going for as long as they did against a much wealthier, well equipped adversary. They were able to make natural adaptations by both IRA parties and the Provos made direct adaptations to their tactics and operational structure through the

The 1916 Easter uprising in Dublin was the spark which ignited and created the Irish Republican Army (Alonso, 2001; Arena & Arrigo, 2004; Hart, 1997; Page & Smith, 2000). In 1916, several republicans took up arms against the British. The British fought back and killed the rebel

Seamus Heaney once said “But that citizen’s perception was also at one with the truth in recognizing that the very brutality of the means by which the IRA were pursuing change was destructive of the trust upon which new possibilities would have to be based.” This quote proves that the IRA is a controversial group. There is dissension whether or not the IRA is a terrorist group or that it was not and became one. This paper will address the history of the IRA, Cumann na mBan, the splinter groups off of the original Irish Republican Army, on how the IRA became a terrorist group, and the opinions about the IRA.

Ireland’s long term suffering from British oppression built the foundations for anti-British hostility and the mass discontent sparked the Easter Rebellion of 1916. The Battle of the Boyne 1690 was a pivotal event in Irish history, facilitating Protestant ascendancy in Catholic

The British army made its self well know in Ulster. Republicans and Catholics were feeling the oppression of the British army. It was soon following those Catholic neighborhoods were gassed by military forces looking of subversives. Catholic rights were pushed away causing them and other independent groups to react. This was the creation of the IRA. Citizens wanted to escape from the British tyranny. If the British army wouldn't have oppressed republicans and Catholics than the IRA wouldn't have been formed.

I remember when it all started. Everyone was going on with their daily business in the office and all of a sudden we get sudden news that Franz Ferdinand had been assassinated. I was immediately put on the job to write a report about the incident since I was recently promoted to the top. As I investigated and looked around for some more information I had found out that while Ferdinand was touring Sarajevo in a car that was open, with almost no security, when Serbian, Nedjelko Cabrinovic threw a bomb at their car but the bomb rolled off the car and injured an officer and innocent bystanders. Later that day, on the way to visit the injured officer, the archduke’s journey took a horrible turn at the junction of Appel quay.Gavrilo Princip