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The IRA is a secret military organization that has long sought to unite the independent country of Ireland with Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is made up of six counties in the northeastern corner of the island of Ireland. Ireland, officially called the Republic of Ireland, is made up of 26 counties that occupy the rest of the island. The IRA and its political wing, called Sinn Fein, also oppose the current government of Ireland. The IRA was formed in 1919 as an unofficial military force that aimed to gain independence for Ireland. At that time, the combined area of present-day Ireland and Northern Ireland was a single country ruled by the British. Most of the people in what is now Northern Ireland were Protestants, and most of those in what is now Ireland were Roman Catholics. The British government had proposed that Ireland remain united with Britain but take control of its own domestic affairs. However, most of the Protestants in the northeastern province of Ulster opposed this plan because they did not want to be a minority in a Roman Catholic nation. In 1919, the IRA began a guerrilla war for independence from British rule. The IRA harassed the police and military with ambushes and sudden raids. In 1920, the British government passed the Government of Ireland Act. The act divided Ireland into two states, each with limited powers of self-government. Under the act, the six northeastern counties were separated from the rest of Ireland and became Northern Ireland. The southern Catholic majority rejected the act and demanded a single, united Irish republic. The guerrilla war continued until July 1921, when British and Irish leaders declared a truce and agreed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This treaty, which was signed on Dec. 6, 1921, made Ireland a dominion--that is, a self-governing country owing allegiance to the British Crown. The dominion was called the Irish Free State. The treaty split the IRA. One group, led by Michael Collins, accepted it and became part of the army of the Irish Free State. The other group, led by Eamon de Valera and called the Irregulars, rejected the treaty because it did not provide complete independence from Britain and union with Northern Ireland. Early in 1922, civil war broke out. The Irregulars were defeated in 1923 but continued as an underground organization. In 1937, Ireland adopted a new constitution and changed its name to Eire. In 1949, Eire renounced its dominion status and declared itself an independent republic called Ireland. But Northern Ireland remained united with Britain. From 1956 to 1962, the IRA periodically raided British installations in Northern Ireland, trying to reunite Ireland and Northern Ireland and embarrass both the British and the Irish governments. In the late 1960's, Catholics in Northern Ireland began to protest against discrimination by the Protestant government. Fighting broke out between Catholics and Protestants, and the IRA took up the cause of the Catholics. Britain sent troops to restore order, and the IRA and British soldiers were soon fighting each other. During 1969 and 1970, a deep split developed within the IRA over strategy and tactics. The dominant group resulting from the division was called the Provisional IRA. The other group became known as the Official IRA. The Provisional IRA has young, aggressive members. It is supported by funds raised at home and abroad. The Provisionals have carried out many bombings, ambushes, and assassinations in Northern Ireland and in Britain. The Official IRA consists of older members chiefly committed to social change. It poses little threat to British security forces or to the Irish population. The use of violence by the Provisional IRA and other militant groups has often disrupted life in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Britain. In September 1997, formal peace talks began that aimed to end the violence over Northern Ireland. The talks were the first negotiations to include all parties involved in the conflict. The talks concluded in April 1998. |