Catholicism has little to do with it...stupid Americans with romantic notions of the Emerald Isle...barf
Posted on 07/28/2005 5:50:14 AM PDT by infocats
The leadership of Óglaigh na hÉireann has formally ordered an end to the armed campaign.
This will take effect from 4pm this afternoon.
All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms. All Volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means. Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever.
The IRA leadership has also authorised our representative to engage with the IICD to complete the process to verifiably put its arms beyond use in a way which will further enhance public confidence and to conclude this as quickly as possible.
We have invited two independent witnesses, from the Protestant and Catholic churches, to testify to this.
The Army Council took these decisions following an unprecedented internal discussion and consultation process with IRA units and Volunteers.
We appreciate the honest and forthright way in which the consultation process was carried out and the depth and content of the submissions. We are proud of the comradely way in which this truly historic discussion was conducted.
The outcome of our consultations show very strong support among IRA Volunteers for the Sinn Féin peace strategy.
There is also widespread concern about the failure of the two governments and the unionists to fully engage in the peace process. This has created real difficulties.
The overwhelming majority of people in Ireland fully support this process.
They and friends of Irish unity throughout the world want to see the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
Notwithstanding these difficulties our decisions have been taken to advance our republican and democratic objectives, including our goal of a united Ireland. We believe there is now an alternative way to achieve this and to end British rule in our country.
It is the responsibility of all Volunteers to show leadership, determination and courage. We are very mindful of the sacrifices of our patriot dead, those who went to jail, Volunteers, their families and the wider republican base. We reiterate our view that the armed struggle was entirely legitimate.
We are conscious that many people suffered in the conflict. There is a compelling imperative on all sides to build a just and lasting peace.
The issue of the defence of nationalist and republican communities has been raised with us. There is a responsibility on society to ensure that there is no re-occurrence of the pogroms of 1969 and the early 1970s.
There is also a universal responsibility to tackle sectarianism in all its forms.
The IRA is fully committed to the goals of Irish unity and independence and to building the Republic outlined in the 1916 Proclamation.
We call for maximum unity and effort by Irish republicans everywhere.
We are confident that by working together Irish republicans can achieve our objectives.
Every Volunteer is aware of the import of the decisions we have taken and all Óglaigh are compelled to fully comply with these orders.
There is now an unprecedented opportunity to utilise the considerable energy and goodwill which there is for the peace process. This comprehensive series of unparalleled initiatives is our contribution to this and to the continued endeavours to bring about independence and unity for the people of Ireland.
The IRA is fully committed to the goals of Irish unity and independence and to building the Republic outlined in the 1916 Proclamation.
Our decisions have been taken to advance our republican and democratic objectives, including our goal of a united Ireland.
We believe there is now an alternative way to achieve this and to end British rule in our country."
New here, just wanted to put in my two cents
Cmom, the IRA killed Lord Mountbatten, relative of the Queen and one of Britain's greatest WW2 heroes, and they killed Airey Neave, one the best spies in British history.
I, for one, am not buying this. I will go on defending my tax-free retirement account with whatever weaponry I can get.
Catholicism has little to do with it...stupid Americans with romantic notions of the Emerald Isle...barf
What a load of complete and utter shi'ite! Can you please tell me what benefits were achieved for the Nationalists of Northern Ireland by the IRA campaign?
Now I need specifics here, not the sort of old twaddle that your Irish granny used to feed you after a couple of bottles too many of Guinness. So specifically what do the Nationalists of Northern Ireland have today that they did not have in 1970? Now be careful here, like I said I want specifics, what specifically was achieved by the IRA?
By 1970 the minor discriminatory policies of the Unionist government with regard to housing, local franchises, local government jobs etc., basically the sort of irritating local bigotry that existed in every western country and which was laughable compared to what Black Americans were suffering in the US had been ended. Northern Ireland had as fair or unfair a system of rule as anywhere else in Western Europe. This had been achieved by a remarkably successful peaceful Civil Rights organisation which gained all its demands in six short years.
However at this point a deep dark fascistic organistaion rose from the grave, an organisation that couldn't give a fiddler's damn about reform of the state of Northern Ireland, the IRA. The IRA wanted to destroy Northern Ireland and did their damned best to achieve this through a truly foul campaign of bombings and murder.
35 years later they finally chuck in the towel and after 3000 deaths the Nationalist/Catholic people have exactly the same rights they had in 1970. So please tell me what specifically did the IRA achieve? The Orangeman still march on July 12 and as an American you will understand that they're perfectly entitled to do so but the situation now is exactly what was on the table in 1970, everyone has the same equality so what purpose did the orphans and widows serve?
Specifics please!
and his grandson....
thugs of the worst sort funded largely by crime and stupid Bostonians and New Yorkers.
Then again, the British Army used to cruise around in armored cars in Irish neighborhoods in Ulster and throw grenades into homes, but that was in the 20s. So while this doesn't measure up to the IRA activities, neither side was exactly civil. Plus, the British have a history of massacring Irish citizens (especially Cromwell)...
I don't think so.
The emergence of the EU and Eire's new economic might is what has ended the need for the Irish Republican Army's existence.
Irish_Links, "our day has come indeed!"
Let there be peace.
Slan agat,
Markedman
Alex,
I beg to differ on the time. The Irish Gaels have fought since the time Pope Adrian, the only English Pope, invited Strongbow into Eire to subdue the Irish Church and bring it to heal under Rome.
"Never, never, never, will Diarmid and Dervogilla ever be forgiven"
Bump!
Ok you want to try some specifics there? Can you actually give the times and dates of these occasions on which British soldiers threw grenades into homes, believe me I grew up in Catholic Nationalist Ireland and even I never heard this one, so tell us when did this happen? The throwing of grenades into the homes of civilians by British troops would have achieved quite a bit of attention even in the 1920's so can you post the links so we can check it out? Or is this just a load of baloney that your oul' uncle Mickey used to rant about after he came back from the pub?
As a small point of information Cromwell, a Republican, did not massacre Irish citizens, the massacre for which he is most famous happened in Drogheda where he massacred the garrison which were English Royalists holding out for King Charles.
Ah facts facts don't ya just hate them when your discussing them with Irish Americans?
"The UDF were not as NEARLY as active as the IRA was."
That is an outright LIE! Pure BS. The UDF were thugs no less than certain thugs of the IRA.
1066? UDF?
No doubt you have a bowler hat and a matching Orange sash hidden away in the closet next to the white sheet.
You seem to have this interesting propensity for shading the truth and only telling the half of the story that suits your lies.
Our memories go as far back a Drogheda. I can remember an Aunt who welcomed the Birtish soldiers into Ulster in 1969 after the "peace movement" was brutally attacked by the police, the local milita and various members of Orange lodges.
She made tea for the soldiers, that is until she realized that they were not there to protect her neighborhood.
It's over now.
And you lost.
Hey, who the f**k are the UDF? You seem obsessed about an organisation that none of the rest of us have ever heard of, perhaps you mean the UDA or the UVF or the LVF or the RHC or one of the other ghastly, grisly 'loyalist' terrorist gangs that sprung up in Northern Ireland as a result of the terrorist appeasing policies of successive UK governments.
Just for the record these 'loyalist' gangs should have been exterminated too, but whilst secret negotiations were held by successive British governments with the IRA it might have been a bit of bad form to whack the Prods.
So here's the deal, I believe in democracy and the rule of law the IRA, the INLA, the UVF, the UDA and all the rest of the alphabet soup of terrorist groups should have been wiped out and it ill behoves Americans today to claim that one terrorist gang was better or worse than the other.
Oh boy oh boy do we know your memories go back as far as Drogheda, see my post above jeez will you get over it already.
With regard to the 'peace movement' I presume you mean the Civil Rights marchers, then I also refer you to my second post and how their demands had been met by 1970.
You are right about one thing however, it is over now, but regarding the fact that Northern Ireland still remains part of the UK and the IRA is calling an end to their war and dumping arms I think all reasonable people would question your opinion as to who lost.
These people were killed in Omagh, right? I thought that attack was undertaken by a splinter group, separate from the PIRA leadership. I don't know too much about the specifics, though, so feel free to correct.
I wonder if this announcement will trigger more splinter-group activity. But all in all, it looks like a positive development, albeit much too late.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, let's examine the facts (facts are not a speciality of Irish-Americans), the IRA waged war to destroy Northern Ireland and create a socialist Marxist 32 county Irish Republic, 35 years later and thousands of widows and orphans, Northern Ireland remains fully integrated into the United Kingdom, the Irish Republic is the most successful capitalist country in Europe and is utterly uninterested in Irish unity and the IRA call off their campaign and tell their followers to dump arms.
You reckon this is a victory, please don't volunteer your efforts to beat Al Qu'eda for God's sake!
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