The History of the IRA

The process of politics in Northern Ireland bears the scars of long years of violence. The republicans, unionists and the British have all suffered high casualty rates from poli

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With the wheels of the political machine in motion the next challenge was to pressure the IRA to end its violence and adopt this new method.

The treaty of 1922 introduced partition in Ireland and was the blue print of the islands division. Home Rule favored the Catholics and republicans, as it gave them more political influence and means of participation in politics concerning Ireland. History showed that there would be no simple solution to such a complex problem, and that in order to bring about a suitable solution there would have to be an increase in trust on all ends. Unlike the Belfast Agreement of 1998, this treaty was drafted and signed with haste. This event alone provided the IRA with the public support network that it would need to endure a longer campaign than they had in the Anglo-Irish War of 1919. It has not been easy for supporters of the Agreement to make sure the IRA is in fact destroying its arsenal of weapons. The first of the demands was that political prisoners be given “political status” or “Special Category”. Talks between leaders of the Sinn Fein and Westminster were proposed, but would only be conducted if the IRA ended its violent campaign. “Politics in Northern Ireland has never been a process. Groups from each government convene and address issues at hand. However, on May 6, 2000 the IRA in an act of confidence building issued a statement of commitment to put their arms “completely and verifiably” beyond use. In 1996 and 1997 the IRA resumed its violent attacks as a means of speeding up negotiations. This third and final strand of the Agreement addresses relations and issues between the two islands. The following quote shows the significance of “Bloody Sunday” in terms of the support generated for IRA.

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Approximate Word count = 4603
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page double spaced)

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