121-946: The Real Irish Republican Army , or Real IRA ( RIRA ), was a dissident Irish republican paramilitary group that aimed to bring about a United Ireland . It was formed in 1997 following a split in the Provisional IRA by dissident members, who rejected the IRA's ceasefire that year. Like the Provisional IRA before it, the Real IRA saw itself as the only rightful successor to the original Irish Republican Army and styled itself as simply "the Irish Republican Army" in English or Óglaigh na hÉireann in Irish. It
242-596: A 15-year-old girl. The RIRA were also blamed for orchestrating rioting in the Ardoyne area of Belfast on 13 July 2009 as an Apprentice Boys parade was passing. Several PSNI officers were injured in the rioting and at least one shot was fired at police. In early November, the Independent Monitoring Commission released a report stating that the threat from the RIRA and other dissident republicans
363-401: A 40 lb bomb was discovered in a car at the long-stay car park of Belfast International Airport following a telephone warning, and was made safe with two controlled explosions by bomb disposal experts. In December a six-day security operation ended when a 70 lb bomb found under railway tracks at Killeen Bridge near Newry was defused. The operation began following telephone warnings, and
484-627: A July 2000 attempt to smuggle a second consignment of arms was foiled by Croatian police, who seized seven RPG-18s, AK-47 assault rifles, detonators, ammunition, and twenty packs of TM500. In 2001, RIRA members travelled to Slovakia to procure arms, and were caught in a sting operation by the British security agency MI5 . The men attempted to purchase five tonnes of plastic explosives, 2,000 detonators, 500 handguns, 200 rocket-propelled-grenades, and also wire-guided missiles and sniper rifles. Three men from County Louth were arrested and extradited to
605-640: A Protestant, became leader in 1880, and the organisation became the Irish National League in 1882. Despite the religion of its early leaders, its support was strongly associated with Irish Catholics. In 1886, Parnell formed a parliamentary alliance with Liberal Party Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and secured the introduction of the First Home Rule Bill . This was opposed by the Conservative Party and led to
726-540: A bomb attached to his car that failed to explode. On 1 August 2002 a civilian worker was killed by an explosion at a Territorial Army base in Derry. The man, a 51-year-old former member of the Ulster Defence Regiment , was the thirtieth person killed by the RIRA. Despite the RIRA's renewed activity, the organisation was weakened by the arrest of key members and continued infiltration by informers. McKevitt
847-624: A bomb twice as powerful as the one in Omagh. At the time, police were warning for weeks that a terrorist attack in London could be imminent. On 21 February 2001, a bomb disguised as a torch left outside a Territorial Army base in Shepherd's Bush seriously injured a 14-year-old cadet, who was blinded and had his hand blown off. A second attack in Shepherd's Bush, the 4 March BBC bombing , injured
968-524: A civilian outside the BBC Television Centre . The explosion was captured by a BBC cameraman, and the footage was broadcast on TV stations worldwide, and gained mass publicity for the group. On 14 April, a bomb exploded at a postal sorting office in Hendon , causing minor damage but no injuries. Three weeks later on 6 May, a second bomb exploded at the same building, causing slight injuries to
1089-576: A claim which it made in respect of the entire island. Supporters of this Declaration fought in the Irish War of Independence . During this period, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 repealed the previous 1914 Act, and provided for two separate devolved parliaments in Ireland. It defined Northern Ireland as "the parliamentary counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, and
1210-510: A firing range inside a disused wine cellar being used as an underground bunker, and seized weapons including an assault rifle, a submachine gun, a semi-automatic pistol and an RPG-18 rocket launcher. An earlier version of the rocket launcher, the RPG-7 , had been in the possession of the Provisional IRA from as early as 1972, but this was the first time the RPG-18 had been found in the possession of
1331-488: A large amount of explosives was found in Kilbranish, Mount Leinster , County Carlow by police, who believe the RIRA were trying to derail the peace process with a bomb attack. The IMC believe the RIRA were also responsible for a failed mortar attack on Craigavon PSNI Station on 4 December 2006. The IMC's October 2006 report stated that the RIRA remains "active and dangerous" and that it seeks to "sustain its position as
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#17327728656451452-494: A major outcry throughout the world, and the Irish and British governments introduced new legislation in an attempt to destroy the organisation. The RIRA also came under pressure from the Provisional IRA, when Provisional IRA members visited the homes of 60 people connected with the RIRA and ordered them to disband and stop interfering with Provisional IRA arms dumps. With the organisation under intense pressure, which included McKevitt and Sands-McKevitt being forced from their home after
1573-527: A member of the 12-person Provisional IRA Executive—denounced the leadership and called for an end to the group's ceasefire and to its participation in the Northern Ireland peace process . He was backed by his partner and fellow Executive member Bernadette Sands McKevitt . The two dissidents were outmanoeuvred by the leadership and were left isolated. The convention backed the pro-ceasefire line, and on 26 October McKevitt and Sands McKevitt resigned from
1694-657: A paramilitary organisation in Ireland. On 20 January 2000, the RIRA issued a call-to-arms in a statement to the Irish News . The statement condemned the Northern Ireland Executive , and stated: "Once again, Óglaigh na hÉireann declares the right of the Irish people to the ownership of Ireland. We call on all volunteers loyal to the Irish Republic to unite to uphold the Republic and establish
1815-470: A passer-by. The 3 August 2001 Ealing bombing injured seven people, and on 3 November a car bomb containing 60 lb of home-made explosives was planted in the centre of Birmingham . The bomb did not fully detonate and no one was injured. The successful attack on Hammersmith Bridge encouraged the RIRA leadership to launch further attacks in Northern Ireland. On 19 June 2000 a bomb was found in
1936-458: A permanent national parliament representative of all the people." The RIRA launched its new campaign on 25 February with an attempted bombing of Shackleton Army Barracks in Ballykelly . The bombers were disturbed as they were assembling the device, which would have caused mass murder if detonated, according to soldiers. On 29 February, a rocket launcher similar to one seized in the 1999 raid
2057-649: A position of becoming part of an existing EU member state, rather than seeking to join the EU as a new independent state." Enda Kenny pointed to the provisions that allowed East Germany to join the West and the EEC during the reunification of Germany as a precedent. In April 2017 the European Council acknowledged that, in the event of Irish unification, "the entire territory of such a united Ireland would [...] be part of
2178-608: A roadblock in Jonesborough, County Armagh , and told motorists "We're from the IRA. The real IRA". The RIRA's objective is a united Ireland by forcing the end of British sovereignty over Northern Ireland through the use of physical force . The organisation rejects the Mitchell Principles and the Good Friday Agreement , comparing the latter to the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty which resulted in
2299-547: A second attack in Banbridge on 1 August injured 35 people and caused £3.5 million of damage when a 500-pound (230 kg) car bomb exploded. Despite these attacks the organisation lacked a significant base and was heavily infiltrated by informers. This led to a series of high-profile arrests and seizures by the Garda Síochána in the first half of 1998; these involved the death of RIRA member Rónán Mac Lochlainn who
2420-868: A split in the Liberal Party, the Liberal Unionist Party . Opposition in Ireland was concentrated in the heavily Protestant counties in Ulster. The difference in religious background was a legacy of the Ulster Plantation in the early seventeenth century. In 1893, the Second Home Rule Bill passed in the House of Commons, but was defeated in the House of Lords, where the Conservatives dominated. A Third Home Rule Bill
2541-516: A survey showed supporters of the Union in the minority in Northern Ireland for the first time, at 48.6%, while supporters of Irish unity were 33.76%. Article 3.1 of the Constitution of Ireland "recognises that a united Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed, in both jurisdictions in the island". This provision
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#17327728656452662-658: A terrorist organisation". The RIRA has stated it has no intention of calling a ceasefire unless a declaration of intent to withdraw from Northern Ireland is made by the British Government. In a lengthy interview with the newspaper An Phoblacht in 2003, the leadership of the Provisional IRA said that the RIRA had "no coherent strategy". On 8 November 2007, two RIRA members shot an off-duty PSNI officer as he sat in his car on Bishop Street in Derry , causing injuries to his face and arm. On 12 November another PSNI member
2783-616: A trial by judge in Belfast. On 1 October 2010, one man was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for attempting to import weapons and explosives, while the other was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for making a Portuguese property available for the purpose of terrorism. Earlier organisations Easter Rising Irish War of Independence Irish Civil War The Troubles Dissident Campaign Dissident republican Dissident republicans ( Irish : poblachtach easaontach ) are Irish republicans who do not support
2904-472: A united Ireland is a central tenet of Irish nationalism and Republicanism , particularly of both mainstream and dissident republican political and paramilitary organisations. Unionists support Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom and oppose Irish unification. Ireland has been partitioned since May 1921, when the implementation of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 created
3025-468: A united Ireland, while declaring that it could be achieved only with the consent of a majority of the people of both jurisdictions on the island, and providing a mechanism for ascertaining this in certain circumstances. In 2016, Sinn Féin called for a referendum on a united Ireland following Brexit , the decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (EU). The decision had increased
3146-522: A united Ireland. In the 2017 Assembly election , the DUP lost ten seats and came just one seat ahead of Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin used this opportunity to call for a Northern Ireland referendum on a united Ireland. The Brexit Secretary , David Davis , confirmed to Mark Durkan , the SDLP MP for Foyle , that in the event of Northern Ireland becoming part of a united Ireland, "Northern Ireland would be in
3267-636: A united Ireland. It specifies that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland "shall exercise the power [to hold a referendum] if at any time it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland". Such referendums may not take place within seven years of each other. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 supersedes previous similar legislative provisions. The Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 also provided that Northern Ireland remained part of
3388-702: Is distinct from the Continuity IRA , another Provisional IRA splinter group founded in 1986, although the two groups have been known to co-operate at a local level. The Provisional IRA has been hostile to the RIRA and issued threats to RIRA members, and in October 2000 was alleged to be responsible for the fatal shooting of Belfast RIRA member Joe O'Connor according to O'Connor's family and 32 County Sovereignty Movement member Marian Price . Organisations called "Irish Republican Army" are illegal in both UK law and Irish law; both proscriptions have been held to apply to
3509-681: Is passed the month begins in which we will have to make the choice either to vote out or remain within the Free State". He said it was important that that choice be made as soon as possible after 6 December 1922 "in order that it may not go forth to the world that we had the slightest hesitation". On 7 December 1922, the day after the establishment of the Irish Free State, the Houses of the Parliament of Northern Ireland resolved to make
3630-720: The 1918 election Sinn Féin won 73 of the 105 seats; however, there was a strong regional divide, with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) winning 23 of the 38 seats in Ulster. Sinn Féin had run on a manifesto of abstaining from the United Kingdom House of Commons , and from 1919 met in Dublin as Dáil Éireann . At its first meeting, the Dáil adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Irish Republic ,
3751-474: The 32 County Sovereignty Movement , support political violence against the British security forces and oppose the Provisional IRA's 1994 ceasefire; other groups, such as the Republican Network for Unity , wish to achieve their goals only through peaceful means. Since the IRA ceasefire, splinter groups have continued an armed campaign against the British security forces in Northern Ireland. Like
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3872-735: The Anglo-Irish Treaty , which led to the establishment of the Irish Free State the following year, a dominion within the British Empire . With respect to Northern Ireland, Articles 11 and 12 of the Treaty made special provision for it including as follows: The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland , Sir James Craig , speaking in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland in October 1922 said that "when 6 December [1922]
3993-603: The Home Rule Movement , and advocated the end of partition. It had a continuous presence in the Northern Ireland Parliament from 1921 to 1972, but was in permanent opposition to the UUP government. A new Constitution of Ireland was proposed by Éamon de Valera in 1937 and approved by the voters of the Irish Free State (thereafter simply Ireland). Articles 2 and 3 of this Constitution claimed
4114-893: The Irish Parliamentary Party . It was signed into law in September 1914 in the midst of the Home Rule Crisis and at the outbreak of the First World War . On the same day, the Suspensory Act 1914 suspended its actual operation. In 1916, a group of revolutionaries led by the Irish Republican Brotherhood launched the Easter Rising , during which they issued a Proclamation of the Irish Republic . The rebellion
4235-593: The Northern Ireland Act 1998 on the form of a future referendum on a united Ireland. In essence the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement provided the opportunity for self determination and mutual respect. Those born in Northern Ireland could identify as Irish, British or both and would be entitled to hold a passport from both, or either country. The freedom of movement, allowed citizens of either jurisdiction to live in which ever part of
4356-777: The Northern Ireland Forum with the exception of the Democratic Unionist Party and the UK Unionist Party , and it was supported by all parties in the Oireachtas . It was also opposed by dissident republicans , including Republican Sinn Féin and the 32 County Sovereignty Movement . It was approved in referendums in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland . Included in the Agreement were provisions which became part of
4477-623: The Northern Ireland peace process . The peace agreements followed a 30-year conflict known as the Troubles , in which over 3,500 people were killed and 47,500 injured, and in which republican paramilitary groups such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army waged a campaign to bring about a united Ireland . Negotiations in the 1990s led to an IRA ceasefire in 1994 and to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Mainstream republicans, represented by Sinn Féin , supported
4598-624: The Parliament of Northern Ireland sat from 1921 to 1972, the Parliament of Southern Ireland was suspended after its first meeting was boycotted by the Sinn Féin members, who comprised 124 of its 128 MPs. A truce in the War of Independence was called in July 1921, followed by negotiations in London between the government of the United Kingdom and a Sinn Féin delegation. On 6 December 1921, they signed
4719-423: The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) believed the bomb was located outside the courthouse. They attempted to establish a security cordon to keep civilians clear of the area, which inadvertently pushed people closer to the location of the bomb. Shortly after, the bomb exploded killing 29 people and injuring 220 others, in what became the single deadliest strike of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The bombing caused
4840-410: The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and People Before Profit (PBP) had campaigned for a Leave vote. Irish politicians began the discussion regarding possible changes to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The status and treatment of Northern Ireland and Gibraltar , the only parts under control of the United Kingdom which would have new land borders with the EU following
4961-471: The UK withdrawal , became important to the negotiations, along with access to the regional development assistance scheme (and new funding thereof) from the European Union. Sinn Féin cited these concerns as the basis for new discussion on a united Ireland. These calls were rejected by the British government and Unionist politicians, with Theresa Villiers arguing that there was no evidence that opinion in Northern Ireland had shifted towards being in favour of
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5082-510: The partition of Ireland . The organisation aims to uphold an uncompromising form of Irish republicanism and opposes any political settlement that falls short of Irish unity and independence. Bernadette Sands McKevitt, sister of hunger striker Bobby Sands and a founder of the RIRA's political wing, the 32 County Sovereignty Movement , said in an interview that her brother "did not die for cross-border bodies with executive powers. He did not die for nationalists to be equal British citizens within
5203-428: The peace process . The agreement acknowledged nationalism and unionism as "equally legitimate, political aspirations". In the Northern Ireland Assembly , all members would designate as Unionist, Nationalist, or Other, and certain measures would require cross-community support. The agreement was signed by the governments of Ireland and of the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland, it was supported by all parties who were in
5324-400: The 'new' country are forced into it against their will and have no allegiance to it nor incentive for it to succeed. A fear of political, civil and economic turmoil and a lack of protection for minority rights, as experienced by the Catholic community in Northern Ireland and the Protestant community in the Republic of Ireland historically, is a key driver towards the desire for the maintenance of
5445-407: The 1930s, it adopted a new constitution which claimed sovereignty over the entire island. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had a united Ireland as its goal during the conflict with British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries from the 1960s to the 1990s known as The Troubles . The Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998, which ended the conflict, acknowledged the legitimacy of the desire for
5566-427: The 2001 bombing campaign in England, and received sentences varying from 16 years to 22 years' imprisonment. In October 2002, McKevitt and other RIRA members imprisoned in Portlaoise Prison issued a statement calling for the organisation to stand down. After a two-month trial, McKevitt was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment in August 2003 after being convicted of directing terrorism. After McKevitt's imprisonment,
5687-425: The Agreement as a means of achieving Irish unity peacefully. Dissidents saw this as an abandonment of the goal of an independent Irish republic and acceptance of partition . They hold that the Northern Ireland Assembly and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are illegitimate and see the PSNI as a British paramilitary police force. Some dissident republican political groups, such as Republican Sinn Féin and
5808-547: The British security forces . It targeted the security forces in firearm attacks and bombings, and with grenades, mortars and rockets . The Real IRA was also responsible for bombings in Northern Ireland and England with the goal of causing economic harm and disruption, the most notable being the 1998 Omagh bombing , which killed 29 people. After that bombing, the Real IRA went on ceasefire, but resumed operations in 2000. In March 2009 it claimed responsibility for an attack on Massereene Barracks which killed two British soldiers,
5929-415: The Conservative led government through the Brexit negotiation process. The 2020 Brexit withdrawal agreement included the Northern Ireland Protocol , which established different trade rules for the territory than Great Britain. While Northern Ireland would de jure leave the single market, it would still enforce all EU customs rules, while Britain would diverge. This would result in a regulatory "border in
6050-418: The EU's predecessor institutions by reuniting with the rest of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall . The majority of Ulster Protestants , almost half the population of Northern Ireland, favour continued union with Great Britain , and have done so historically. Four of the six counties have Irish Catholic majorities, and majorities voting for Irish nationalist parties, and Catholics have become
6171-446: The European Union." The SDLP manifesto for the 2017 UK general election called for a referendum on a united Ireland after the UK withdraws from the EU. However the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at the time, James Brokenshire , said the conditions for a vote are "not remotely satisfied". After the 2017 election, the UK government was reliant on confidence and supply from the Democratic Unionist Party . The deal supported
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#17327728656456292-519: The Executive along with other members. In November 1997, McKevitt and other dissidents held a meeting in a farmhouse in Oldcastle, County Meath , and a new organisation, styling itself Óglaigh na hÉireann , was formed. The organisation attracted disaffected Provisional IRA members from the republican stronghold of South Armagh , as well as Dublin , Belfast , Limerick, Tipperary, County Louth , County Tyrone and County Monaghan . The name "Real IRA" entered common usage when in early 1998 members set up
6413-427: The Irish Derby." Under the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 , Ireland declared that the country may officially be described as the Republic of Ireland and that the President of Ireland had the executive authority of the state in its external relations. This was treated by the British Commonwealth as ending Irish membership. In response, the United Kingdom passed the Ireland Act 1949 . Section 1(2) of this act affirmed
6534-404: The Irish Sea" rather than a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and caused fears from unionist politicians about Brexit causing a weakening of the UK. The new UK prime minister Boris Johnson continued to claim no trade border would take form as late as August 2020, despite having negotiated its creation . Dominic Cummings later claimed that Johnson did not understand
6655-408: The Irish government in the future of Northern Ireland. Article 1 of the Agreement stated that the future constitutional position of Northern Ireland would be a matter for the people of Northern Ireland: (a) affirm that any change in the status of Northern Ireland would only come about with the consent of a majority of' the people of' Northern Ireland; (b) recognise that the present wish of a majority of
6776-420: The Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage. Article 3 In a referendum in June 2016, England and Wales voted to leave the European Union . The majority of those voting in Northern Ireland and in Scotland, however, voted for the UK to remain. Of the parties in the Assembly, only the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),
6897-481: The Northern Ireland state". The RIRA adopted a tactic of bombing town centres to damage the economic infrastructure of Northern Ireland. The organisation also attacks members of the security forces using land mines , home-made mortars and car bombs , and has also targeted England using incendiary devices and car bombs to "spread terror and disruption". The organisation's first action was an attempted bombing in Banbridge , County Down on 7 January 1998. The intention
7018-399: The Provisional IRA, each of these groups sees itself as the only rightful successor of the original IRA and each calls itself simply "the IRA", or Óglaigh na hÉireann in Irish (see also Irish republican legitimism ). United Ireland United Ireland ( Irish : Éire Aontaithe ), also referred to as Irish reunification or a New Ireland , is the proposition that all of
7139-407: The RIRA as to other groups of the name. Membership in the organisation is punishable by a sentence of up to ten years' imprisonment under UK law. On May 16, 2001, the United States government designated the RIRA (and its aliases) as a " Foreign Terrorist Organization " (FTO). This makes it illegal for Americans to provide material support to the RIRA, requires American financial institutions to freeze
7260-417: The RIRA claimed responsibility for the 2009 Massereene Barracks shooting . This shooting occurred outside the Massereene Barracks as four soldiers were receiving a pizza delivery. Two soldiers were killed, and the other two soldiers and two deliverymen were injured. On 3 April 2009, the RIRA in Derry claimed responsibility for carrying out a punishment shooting of a man who was awaiting sentencing for raping
7381-544: The RIRA regrouped and claimed responsibility for a series of firebomb attacks against premises in Belfast in November 2004, and an attack on a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) patrol in Ballymena during March 2006 was attributed to the RIRA by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC). On 9 August 2006, fire bomb attacks by the RIRA hit businesses in Newry , County Down. Buildings belonging to JJB Sports and Carpetright were destroyed, and ones belonging to MFI and TK Maxx were badly damaged. On 27 October 2006,
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#17327728656457502-447: The RIRA seriously injured a member of the PSNI when a booby trap bomb exploded underneath his car near Spamount , County Tyrone. On 25 September 2008 the RIRA shot a man in the neck in St Johnston , near the County Londonderry border. The same man was targeted in a pipe bomb attack on his home on 25 October, the RIRA did not claim responsibility for the attack, but security forces believe they were responsible for it. On 7 March 2009,
7623-414: The RIRA the ability to manufacture home-made explosives and improvised mortars, including the Mark 15 mortar capable of firing a 200-pound (91 kg) shell. In 1999, the organisation supplemented its equipment by importing arms from Croatia, including military explosive TM500 , CZ Model 25 submachine guns, modified AK-47 assault rifles with a folding stock, and RPG-18 and RPG-22 rocket launchers but
7744-418: The RIRA. McKevitt refused, stating that members would be left defenceless against attacks by the Provisional IRA. In 1999, the RIRA began preparations for a renewed campaign, and in May three members travelled to Split in Croatia to purchase arms, which were smuggled back to Ireland. On 20 October, ten people were arrested when Gardaí raided a RIRA training camp near Stamullen , County Meath. Officers found
7865-412: The RIRA. On 1 June 2000, a bomb damaged Hammersmith Bridge , a symbolic target for Irish republican paramilitary groups. The bridge had been targeted by the Irish Republican Army on 29 March 1939 as part of its Sabotage Campaign , and by the Provisional IRA on 24 April 1996 . On 19 July, security forces carried out a controlled explosion on a bomb left at Ealing Broadway station and public transport
7986-408: The Real IRA that did not merge with the New IRA continue to have a presence in the Republic of Ireland, particularly in Cork and to a lesser extent in Dublin . In July 1997, the Provisional IRA called a ceasefire. On 10 October 1997, a Provisional IRA General Army Convention was held in Falcarragh , County Donegal. At the convention, Provisional IRA Quartermaster General Michael McKevitt —also
8107-518: The Real IRA. As before, the group would continue to refer to itself as "the Irish Republican Army", though some media began to refer to the group as a "new IRA". The RIRA has a command structure similar to the Provisional IRA, with a seven-member Army Council consisting of a chief of staff, quartermaster general, director of training, director of operations, director of finance, director of publicity, and adjutant general. The rank-and-file members operate in active service units of covert cells to prevent
8228-412: The Republican Government remained as the legitimate government of the Irish Republic declared in 1919. Adherents to this theory rejected the legitimacy of both the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. The report of Boundary Commission in 1925 established under the Treaty did not lead to any alteration in the border . Within Northern Ireland, the Nationalist Party was an organisational successor to
8349-571: The UK and subsequently imprisoned for 30 years each after pleading guilty to conspiring to cause explosions and other charges. In June 2006, the PSNI made arrests following an MI5 sting operation targeting a dissident republican gun smuggling plot. The RIRA had attempted to procure arms from France including Semtex and C-4 plastic explosives, SA-7 surface-to-air missiles , AK-47s, rocket launchers, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols with silencers, anti-tank weapons and detonators. On 30 June 2010, two of those arrested were found guilty following
8470-437: The United Kingdom unless a majority voted otherwise in a referendum, while under the Ireland Act 1949 the consent of the Parliament of Northern Ireland was needed for a united Ireland. In 1985, the Anglo-Irish Agreement affirmed, while providing for devolved government in Northern Ireland, and an advisory role for the Republic of Ireland government, that any change in the status of Northern Ireland would only come about with
8591-400: The United Kingdom. The poll was overwhelmingly boycotted by nationalists, and the turnout was therefore 58.7%. The pro-UK vote did however represent 57.5% of the entire electorate, notwithstanding the boycott. In 1983, the Irish government led by Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald established the New Ireland Forum as a consultation on a new Ireland. Though all parties in Ireland were invited,
8712-533: The blast, which also damaged a hotel and other businesses. Several telephone warnings were received an hour prior to the blast allowing police to cordon off the area. The RIRA later claimed responsibility in a telephone call to the Derry Journal . A large Real IRA explosives dump and arms cache were discovered in Dunleer , County Louth by Gardaí in October 2010, following a weekend of searches and arrests in
8833-457: The bomb subsequently exploded damaging the fence and an unmanned guardhouse. After the Omagh bombing, the RIRA leadership were unwilling to launch a full-scale campaign in Northern Ireland due to the possibility of civilians being killed. Instead they decided to launch a series of attacks in England, in particular London, which they hoped would attract disenchanted Provisional IRA members to join
8954-694: The consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland. The Kingdom of Ireland as a whole had become part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Acts of Union 1800 . From the 1870s, support for some form of an elected parliament in Dublin grew. In 1870, Isaac Butt , who was a Protestant, formed the Home Government Association , which became the Home Rule League . Charles Stewart Parnell , also
9075-763: The continuation of the Parliament of Northern Ireland within a unitary Irish state. In 1946, former Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the Irish High Commissioner to the United Kingdom , "I said a few words in Parliament the other day about your country because I still hope for a United Ireland. You must get those fellows in the north in, though; you can't do it by force. There is not, and never was, any bitterness in my heart towards your country." He later said, "You know I have had many invitations to visit Ulster but I have refused them all. I don't want to go there at all, I would much rather go to southern Ireland. Maybe I'll buy another horse with an entry in
9196-502: The deal at the time it was signed, while Ian Paisley Jr claimed that Johnson had privately promised to "tear up" the deal after it was agreed. In September, Johnson sought to unilaterally dis-apply parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, despite acknowledging that this broke international law. The bill was rejected by the House of Lords , resulting in several provisions being withdrawn before it passed in December 2020- shortly before
9317-525: The dominant party representing the nationalist community until the early twenty-first century. In 1972, the parliament of Northern Ireland was suspended , and under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 , it was formally abolished. Section 1 of the 1973 Act stated, A border poll was held in Northern Ireland in 1973 . The SDLP and Sinn Féin called for a boycott of the poll. 98.9% of votes cast supported remaining part of
9438-501: The east of the country. In addition, two Real IRA men were charged in Dublin's non-jury Special Criminal Court of membership of an illegal organisation. The Real IRA claimed responsibility for kidnapping and shooting dead of one of their members, Kieran Doherty, for alleged drug dealing. Further seizures of the group's arms and explosives by the Gardaí in 2012 and 2013 led to over a dozen more arrests. In 2011 Michael Campbell, brother of Liam,
9559-515: The entire country. The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland James Chichester-Clark rejected the proposal. In August 1971 Lynch proposed that the Government of Northern Ireland (Stormont) be replaced with an administration that would share power with Catholics. The next day the Northern Prime Minister Brian Faulkner rejected Lynch's statement and stated that "no further attempt by us to deal constructively with
9680-478: The first to be killed in Northern Ireland since 1997. The Real IRA has also been involved in attacks on drug dealers. In July 2012, it was reported that Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) and other small republican militant groups were merging with the Real IRA. This new entity was named the New IRA by the media but members continue to identify themselves as simply "the Irish Republican Army". Small pockets of
9801-602: The following address to the King so as to exercise the rights conferred on Northern Ireland under Article 12 of the Treaty: The King received it the following day. These steps cemented Northern Ireland's legal separation from the Irish Free State. In Irish republican legitimist theory, the Treaty was illegitimate and could not be approved. According to this theory, the Second Dáil did not dissolve and members of
9922-620: The grounds of Hillsborough Castle , home of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Mandelson . On 30 June, a bomb exploded on the Dublin-to-Belfast railway line near the village of Meigh in County Armagh . The explosion damaged the tracks, and caused disruption to train services. On 9 July a car bomb damaged buildings in Stewartstown, County Tyrone including an RUC station, and on 10 August, an attack in Derry
10043-463: The group's assets, and denies suspected RIRA members visas into the United States. In 2014, Forbes magazine estimated the group's annual turnover at US$ 50 million. According to the police in Northern Ireland, the main sources of the Real IRA's funding are illegal fuel operations and various smuggling activities. Illicit cigarettes were also said to be a significant source of income for
10164-551: The group. There are also other significant sources of funding from the group, including funding from sympathisers based in the US and other countries. The RIRA initially took small amounts of materiel from Provisional IRA arms dumps under the control of McKevitt and other former Provisional IRA members, including the plastic explosive Semtex , Uzi submachine guns , AK-47 assault rifles , handguns, detonators and timing devices. The defection of senior Provisional IRA members also gave
10285-520: The island of Ireland should be a single sovereign state . At present, the island is divided politically: the sovereign state of Ireland (legally described also as the Republic of Ireland ) has jurisdiction over the majority of Ireland, while Northern Ireland , which lies entirely within (but consists of only 6 of 9 counties of) the Irish province of Ulster , is part of the United Kingdom . Achieving
10406-458: The island they wanted, therby enabling them to choose which state they paid taxes to or claimed benefits from. The 'Two state' solution advocated for conflict resolution in other jurisdictions therefore applied. Provision within the Agreement allows for a simple majority to vote in favour of Irish Unification, but does nothing to explain how the dissolution of the two state solution, leads to a peaceful and prosperous new country when potentially 13% of
10527-478: The largest bomb found in several years according to the RUC. On 23 January, the RIRA attacked Ebrington Army Barracks in Derry for a second time, firing a mortar over a perimeter fence. A mortar similar to the one used in the attack was found by Gardaí near Newtowncunningham on 13 February, and British army bomb disposal experts made safe another mortar found between Dungannon and Carrickmore on 12 April. On 1 August
10648-483: The longest continuous deployment in British military history Operation Banner . The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) had begun a thirty-year campaign against British security forces with the aim of winning a united Ireland. In 1970, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) was established to campaign for civil rights and a united Ireland by peaceful, constitutional means. The party rose to be
10769-535: The media named McKevitt in connection with the bombing, the RIRA called a ceasefire on 8 September. Following the declaration of the ceasefire the RIRA began to regroup, and by the end of October had elected a new leadership and were planning their future direction. In late December, Irish government representative Martin Mansergh held a meeting with McKevitt in Dundalk, in an attempt to convince McKevitt to disband
10890-566: The north erupted into outright violence in the late 1960s. In 1968 the Irish Taoiseach, Jack Lynch , raised the issue of partition in London: "It has been the aim of my government and its predecessors to promote the reunification of Ireland by fostering a spirit of brotherhood among all sections of the Irish people. The clashes in the streets of Derry are an expression of the evils which partition has brought in its train." He later stated to
11011-620: The only ones to attend were Fine Gael , Fianna Fáil , the Labour Party and the SDLP . Its report considered three options: a unitary state, i.e., a united Ireland; a federal/confederal state; and joint sovereignty. These options were rejected by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . In 1985, the governments of Ireland and of the United Kingdom signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement ; the British government accepted an advisory role for
11132-527: The organisation from being compromised by informers. In June 2005, the organisation was believed to have a maximum of about 150 members, according to a statement by the Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform , Michael McDowell . The RIRA also has political wings: the 32 County Sovereignty Movement (formerly the 32 County Sovereignty Committee), led by Francis Mackey, and unregistered political party Saoradh , led by Brian Kenna. The RIRA
11253-467: The parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry" and Southern Ireland "so much of Ireland as is not comprised within the said parliamentary counties and boroughs". Section 3 of this Act provided that the parliaments may be united by identical acts of parliament: Sinn Féin did not recognise this act, treating elections to the respective parliaments as a single election to the Second Dáil . While
11374-490: The people of Northern Ireland is for no change in the status of Northern Ireland; In the Downing Street Declaration , Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and Prime Minister John Major issued a joint statement, in which Major, "reiterated on behalf of the British Government, that they have no selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland". The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a culmination of
11495-415: The perceived likelihood of a united Ireland, in order to avoid the possible requirement for a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, though the imposition of a hard border has not, as yet, eventuated. Fine Gael Taoiseach Enda Kenny successfully negotiated that in the event of reunification, Northern Ireland will become part of the EU, just as East Germany was permitted to join
11616-431: The plurality in Northern Ireland as of 2021. The religious denominations of the citizens of Northern Ireland are only a guide to likely political preferences, as there are both Protestants who favour a united Ireland, and Catholics who support the union. Two surveys in 2011 identified a significant number of Catholics who favoured the continuation of the union without identifying themselves as unionists or British. In 2024,
11737-421: The present Dublin government is possible." Later in 1971 British Labour Party leader (and future Prime Minister) Harold Wilson proposed a plan that would lead to a united Ireland after a 15-year transitional period. He called for the establishment of a commission that would examine the possibility of creating a united Ireland which would be agreed upon by all three parliaments. The northern Prime Minister rejected
11858-474: The press that the ending of partition would be "a just and inevitable solution to the problems of Northern Ireland." Lynch renewed his call to end partition in August 1969 when he proposed negotiations with Britain with the hope of merging the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland into a federal type state. Lynch proposed that the two parliaments continue to function with a Council of Ireland having authority over
11979-536: The proceedings. By the end of the First World War, a number of moderate unionists came to support Home Rule, believing that it was the only way to keep a united Ireland in the United Kingdom. The Irish Dominion League opposed partition of Ireland into separate southern and northern jurisdictions, while arguing that the whole of Ireland should be granted dominion status with the British Empire. At
12100-466: The proposal and reiterated the desire that Northern Ireland remain an integral part of the United Kingdom. The Irish Taoiseach indicated the possibility of amending the Irish constitution to accommodate the Protestants of Northern Ireland and urged the British government to "declare its interest in encouraging the unity of Ireland". In 1969 the British government deployed troops in what would become
12221-421: The provision in the Treaty that the position of Ireland remained a matter for the Parliament of Northern Ireland: Between 1956 and 1962, the IRA engaged in a border campaign against British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary outposts with the aim of ending British rule in Northern Ireland. This coincided with brief electoral success of Sinn Féin, which won four seats at the 1957 Irish general election . This
12342-613: The road and railway line connecting Newry to Dundalk were closed due to security alerts. A pipe bomb was discovered at a police officer's home in Annalong , County Down on 3 January 2002, and two teenage boys were injured in County Armagh on 2 March when a bomb hidden in a traffic cone exploded. On 29 March 2002 the RIRA targeted a former member of the Royal Irish Regiment from Sion Mills , County Tyrone, with
12463-468: The states of Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, with the former becoming independent, and the other petitioning to remain a part of the UK. The Anglo-Irish Treaty , which led to the establishment in December 1922 of a dominion called the Irish Free State , recognised partition, but this was opposed by anti-Treaty republicans. When the anti-Treaty Fianna Fáil party came to power in
12584-534: The status quo on both sides of the border. [...] Schedule 1 On the establishment of the institutions in 1999, Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland were amended to read: It is the entitlement and birthright of every person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish nation. That is also the entitlement of all persons otherwise qualified in accordance with law to be citizens of Ireland. Furthermore,
12705-434: The whole island of Ireland as the national territory, while claiming legal jurisdiction only over the previous territory of the Irish Free State. The national territory consists of the whole island of Ireland, its islands and the territorial seas. Article 3 Article 15.2 allowed for the "creation or recognition of subordinate legislatures and for the powers and functions of these legislatures", which would have allowed for
12826-629: Was an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland and designated a proscribed terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and the United States. The Real IRA waged a campaign in Northern Ireland against the Police Service of Northern Ireland —formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary —and the British Army . It was the largest and most active of the " dissident republican " paramilitary groups operating against
12947-470: Was arrested on 29 March 2001 and charged with membership of an illegal organisation and directing terrorism, and remanded into custody. In July 2001, following the arrests of McKevitt and other RIRA members, British and Irish government sources hinted that the organisation was now in disarray. Other key figures were jailed, including the RIRA's Director of Operations, Liam Campbell , who was convicted of membership of an illegal organisation, and Colm Murphy who
13068-640: Was at its most serious level since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. When drug dealer Sean Winters was shot dead in Portmarnock , north Dublin, in September 2010, the Real IRA "emerged as the chief suspects". They were also suspected of shooting dead drugs gang leader Michael Kelly in Coolock in September 2011. On 5 October 2010, a car bomb exploded outside a branch of the Ulster Bank on Culmore Road in Derry . Two police officers were slightly injured in
13189-407: Was convicted of conspiring to cause the Omagh bombing, although this conviction was overturned on appeal. On 10 April 2002, Ruairi Convey, from Donaghmede , Dublin, was jailed for three years for membership of the RIRA. During a search of his home a list of names and home addresses of members of the Gardaí's Emergency Response Unit was found. Five RIRA members were also convicted in connection with
13310-608: Was disrupted when the Metropolitan Police closed Victoria and Paddington train stations and halted services on the London Underground . On 21 September a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the MI6 headquarters using an RPG-22 rocket launcher, which generated headlines around the world. In November 2000, security forces foiled a plot to drive 500 lb of homemade explosives to central London that month,
13431-658: Was found guilty in Vilnius , Lithuania , of trying to purchase arms and explosives and was sentenced to twelve years in prison. In October 2013 Campbell was freed on appeal, only to have the Supreme Court of Lithuania order a retrial in June 2014. Campbell has maintained his innocence, accusing British intelligence of attempting to frame him. On 26 July 2012, it was reported that Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) and other small republican militant groups were merging with
13552-531: Was found near an army base in Dungannon , County Tyrone, and on 15 March three men were arrested following the discovery of 500 lb of home-made explosives when the RUC searched two cars in Hillsborough, County Down . On 6 April a bomb attack took place at Ebrington Barracks in Derry. RIRA members lowered a device consisting of 5 lb of homemade explosives over the perimeter fence using ropes, and
13673-571: Was introduced in 1912, and in September 1912, just under half a million men and women signed the Ulster Covenant to swear they would resist its application in Ulster. The Ulster Volunteer Force were formed in 1913 as a militia to resist Home Rule. The Government of Ireland Act 1914 (previously known as the Third Home Rule Bill) provided for a unitary devolved Irish Parliament, a culmination of several decades of work from
13794-432: Was introduced in 1999 after implementation of the Good Friday Agreement , as part of replacing the old Articles 2 and 3 , which had laid a direct claim to the whole island as the national territory. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 , a statute of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , provides that Northern Ireland will remain within the United Kingdom unless a majority of the people of Northern Ireland vote to form part of
13915-550: Was its first electoral success since 1927, and it did not win seats in the Republic of Ireland again until 1997. The border campaign was entirely unsuccessful in its aims. In 1957, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan wrote that "I do not think that a United Ireland - with de Valera as a kind of Irish Nehru would do us much good. Let us stand by our friends." The Northern Ireland civil rights movement emerged in 1967 to campaign for civil rights for Catholics in Northern Ireland. Tensions between republican and loyalist groups in
14036-457: Was not successful and sixteen of the leaders were executed. The small separatist party Sinn Féin became associated with the Rising in its aftermath as several of those involved in it were party members. The Irish Convention held between 1917 and 1918 sought to reach agreement on manner in which Home Rule would be implemented after the war. All Irish parties were invited, but Sinn Féin boycotted
14157-467: Was planted in a wooden hut and partially exploded when a soldier opened the door to the hut. The second bomb was found during a follow-up search and made safe by bomb disposal experts. On 11 November the RUC and British Army prevented a mortar attack after stopping a van near Derrylin , County Fermanagh, and the RUC prevented a further attack on 13 January 2001 when an 1100 lb bomb was found in Armagh –
14278-499: Was shot by RIRA members in Dungannon , County Tyrone. On 7 February 2008, the RIRA stated that, after experiencing a three-year period of reorganisation, it intended to "go back to war" by launching a new offensive against "legitimate targets". It also, despite having apologised for the Omagh bombing , denied any large scale involvement with the attack and said that their part had only gone as far as their codeword being used. On 12 May 2008
14399-499: Was shot dead trying to escape from police, following an attempted robbery of a security van in County Wicklow. On 15 August 1998, the RIRA left a car containing 500 lb of home-made explosives in the centre of Omagh , County Tyrone. The bombers could not find a parking space near the intended target of the courthouse , and the car was left 400 metres away. As a result, three inaccurate telephone warnings were issued, and
14520-665: Was thwarted by the RUC after a van containing a 500 lb bomb failed to stop at a police checkpoint. Following a car chase the bombers escaped across the Irish border, and the Irish Army carried out a controlled explosion on the bomb after the van was found abandoned in County Donegal . On 13 September 2000, two 80 lb bombs were planted at the Magilligan army camp in County Londonderry, one of which
14641-674: Was to explode a 300-pound (140 kg) car bomb , but this was thwarted when the bomb was defused by security forces. The RIRA continued its campaign in late February with bombings in Moira, County Down and Portadown , County Armagh. On 9 May the organisation announced its existence, in a coded telephone call to Belfast media claiming responsibility for a mortar attack on a police station in Belleek, County Fermanagh . The RIRA also carried out attacks in Newtownhamilton and Newry , and
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