The Changing Methods of the IRA from 1972 to the Present Day

The Changing Methods of the IRA from 1972 to the Present Day

The IRA over the years, from it’s humble beginnings to now, has

employed many tactics, to get what it wants. They “claim to represent

the interest of Catholics”. Expanding upon this, they hope to have a

united and Catholic governed Ireland. Just as it was before the

Protestants arrived. In this essay I will analyse and explain the

IRA’s changing tactics from violent, volatile manoeuvres, to peaceful,

non-violent Protestants, dating from 1972 to the Present day.

From the 1919 formation of the IRA to the 1969 escalation of violence,

the IRA has developed it’s tactics to what it uses today. Following

the Easter Rising of 1916, and the failure of the British Government

to grant home rule. Lead to the forming of the Irish Republican Army.

They wanted action through violence. After the subsequent partition of

Ireland (a result of the rising) in 1921, the IRA began a bombing

campaign, because as a result of Ireland partitioning, Catholics in

Northern Ireland, now called Ulster were discriminated. The IRA was

fuelled by hatred, so from 1956-62 the IRA began another violent

bombing campaign in Ulster. But this gave them little support and

their leaders were imprisoned, during this period the IRA strived for

a ‘United Ireland’, but wanted to use force to obtain it. A good

example of this is Operation Harvest, the name given to the campaign.

A couple of years later, from 1968-69, the IRA swapped from violent to

peaceful tactics, in an attempt to get change. This was to aid the

Civil Rights Movement. For instance they policed the civil rights

marches. So, just from the years 1919 to 1969, the IRA used violence,

but changed tactics when the violence seemed futile.

After the major violence of the ‘Battle of Bogside’, British Troops

entered Northern Ireland, and initially were welcomed by the IRA. But,

the troops soon angered the Catholics, by enforcing curfews and

searching homes. In 1969 the IRA split between the Official IRA and

the Provisional IRA.