Irish Army. Saint Patrick's First Condition

Saint Patrick once fasted for 40 days on the top of a mountain.
When he became weak, God demanded that Patrick stop fasting.
But the saint agreed to do this only under three conditions:
so that the Irish never live under the yoke of foreigners,
so that seven years before the end of the world Ireland goes under water
and escaped deprivation and destruction
and that at the Last Judgment the Irish should be judged only by himself.
It appears that God has begun to fulfill St. Patrick's conditions.

On 28 July 2005, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) announced that it would cease all armed activities. Now the most popular military organization in the world in the media sense will achieve its goals exclusively through political means. "We believe there is another way to end British rule in our country," the IRA said in an official statement. This document obliges all IRA units to lay down their arms, and members of the organization to unquestioningly obey the statement. The intention of the militants, who have been considered Britain's number one enemy for almost thirty years, to stop the armed struggle can certainly be regarded as sensational. What are the reasons for refusal?

Until now, the IRA has not declared unilateral disarmament. She repeatedly announced a ceasefire and a complete ceasefire, but each time these actions failed. There were also negotiations on disarmament, but the issue rested on the fact that in Ulster (the northern part of the island of Ireland, part of Great Britain), in addition to the IRA, there were other armed groups, including loyalist ones. Without mutual disarmament, the IRA leadership was not eager to surrender its arsenals. So the current statement, at least in this part, can really be called sensational.

The IRA chose the right moment to make a statement. Britain is reeling from the London events of July 7, when bombings by Islamist militants killed more than 50 people. Compared to recent terrorist attacks, the IRA's activities, including Bloody Friday, a series of bombings on July 21, 1972, that killed nine people, look like childish pranks. Against the backdrop of the general sorrow engulfing Great Britain, the words about renouncing armed struggle, heard from London’s eternal enemy, will evoke, if not sympathy, then at least understanding in the United Kingdom.

I welcome the recognition that a peaceful and democratic path is the only way to achieve political change.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Of course, we should not forget that there is also a certain element of calculation in this - the public and the authorities will have to think about and analyze the statement made, and all this time the organization will be in the focus of public attention, which the political wing of the IRA, the Sinn Fein party, will not fail to take advantage of. . While the authorities ponder the response and prepare their proposals (the routine delight of Prime Minister Tony Blair does not count), the IRA will be able to prepare for any turn of events.

"A land that has never known freedom..."

The Anglo-Irish conflict is perhaps the longest running on Earth, at least from the Irish point of view. They date its beginning to the 12th century, to the time of the first British military expeditions to the Emerald Isle. From that time on, the seeds of mutual enmity began to sprout in the souls of the two peoples, separated by the Irish Sea.

In fact, Ireland became the first British colony. After the failure of one of the uprisings in the era of Queen Elizabeth I, the lands of the north-eastern counties were declared the property of the British crown and sold to Scottish colonists. The so-called “Ulster Plantation” was established, to which Protestant Scots moved. The lands came into their possession, and local Catholic landowners were mercilessly expelled.

Under Oliver Cromwell, Ireland was finally enslaved. In Great Britain, laws were passed that deprived Irish people of land rights. Peasants were deprived of their plots; they were forbidden not only to buy land, but also to rent it for a long period. The Irish were also prohibited from independently carrying out foreign economic activities. Despite convenient ports for trade with Europe, direct trade with foreign countries, especially the export of Irish wool to the continent, was prohibited. It would not be a great exaggeration to say that it was from Ireland that the British began to imagine the peoples of the colonies as beings of a different kind, in relation to whom traditional moral norms were no longer valid.

Any manifestation of national identity was brutally suppressed - the inhabitants of the island were forbidden to speak their native language and teach it to their children. Until the 19th century, an Irishman could not become a doctor, a lawyer, or an official - only a temporary tenant of an allotment or a small artisan.

Is it Britain's fault that the Irish prefer to eat potatoes rather than bread; that they are capable of living in conditions that even their pigs could not endure? Having lived in poverty for generations, the Irish have become largely insensitive to it.

The Times 12/08/1843

In the middle of the 19th century, the country was struck by the Great Famine. The main vegetable crop in Ireland was potatoes. For multi-family Irish peasants, it was the main daily product, since neither oats nor barley could feed the tenants. The population’s dependence on it was so great that when in 1845 and 1846 the entire potato crop in the country was destroyed by late blight fungus brought from North America, a terrible famine ensued, due to which about a million people died and the same number emigrated, mainly to USA. During 1841 - 1901, the population of Ireland decreased from 8 million 178 thousand people to 4 million 459 thousand. Moreover, although entire villages perished from hunger, all this time the export of grain and livestock to England continued: landowners demanded the rent due to them. The flow of refugees overseas has reached a quarter of a million people a year. Thus, Ireland became the only country in Europe whose population has decreased rather than increased since the mid-19th century.

London's policies led to the fact that the territory of Ireland was de facto divided into two parts along economic and religious lines. The south, called Eire, had a predominantly Catholic population and an agricultural economy. In Ulster the picture was different - the support of the metropolis turned it into an industrialized region. Weaving production, shipbuilding, metallurgy arose in the province, and mining was underway. The majority of the population there were Protestants.

We keep the Irish in darkness and ignorance, and then we wonder how they can be so superstitious. We condemn them to poverty and hardship, and then we wonder why they have a penchant for unrest and unrest. We tie their hands by denying them access to business, and then we wonder why they are so lazy and idle.

Thomas Campbell, Philosophical Investigations into the South of Ireland (1778)

The Catholic majority of Ireland constantly demanded independence and, in order to achieve it, periodically staged armed uprisings, but all attempts to get rid of the power of the British were drowned in blood. The Protestant minority always opposed separation from Great Britain and fought against the Catholic “rebels” with arms in hand.

When Great Britain entered World War I, the Irish saw this as another chance to overthrow London's rule. In 1916, Irish nationalist leaders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Thomas Clarke and others launched an uprising in Dublin, known in history as the Easter Week Uprising (it began on April 24, Easter Day). The uprising lasted a week. The rebellion was suppressed by British troops, most of the leaders of the uprising were captured and executed by a military tribunal.

"I left the hut, went to fight..."

In December 1918, the nationalist political organization Sinn Fein (We Ourselves) won elections to the British Parliament. But the Shinnfeiners refused to attend the meetings and announced the formation of their own parliament, Doyle Erin, in Dublin. It was led by one of the participants in the Easter Rising, Eamon de Valera. After this, war broke out between England and Ireland, and then the IRA entered the scene.

The Irish hate our prosperous island. They hate our order, our civilization, our enterprise, our freedom, our religion. This wild, reckless, unpredictable, idle and superstitious people cannot have any sympathy with the English character.

English Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli

The Irish Republican Army traces its ancestry to the Irish Citizen Army of James, Connolly and the National Volunteers, a military organization under the Sinn Fein party founded in 1905. In 1917-1920, IRA soldiers unleashed a real guerrilla war against the British in Ireland.

The IRA was led by a talented leader, Michael Collins. It was he who led the military operations of Irish militants against English units, as well as pro-English “militia” - the so-called. "Black and Brown" (Black&Tans) and "Auxiliary" (Auxilliary). In fact, Collins was the military leader of all partisan units. For official London, his name sounded about the same as the word “devil” for a Catholic priest. London mothers frightened their children with his name, and British army officers simply slept and saw how they would strangle him.

Under the leadership of Collins, the flying troops of the Irish inflicted painful defeats on the British. The militants used ambush tactics, attacks on columns and checkpoints. Using the support of the local population, scattered IRA groups prevented the creation and functioning of government bodies. The British placed a large reward on Collins' head. The police, under pressure from the IRA, were forced to concentrate in large population centers, since they could not control rural areas. In 1920, the IRA destroyed more than 150 tax authorities in 32 counties of Ireland and burned 70 barracks.

In the fall of 1920, in response to British repression, the Minister of War of the Irish Republic, Cathal Bru, decided to transfer military operations to the territory of the metropolis. In London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle, the IRA carried out a series of sabotage attacks, striking communications, industrial and commercial facilities. They killed officers, policemen and soldiers returning from Ireland.

As time passed, London began to understand that the build-up of the military presence in Ireland could not continue indefinitely. The country had just experienced the First World War, its economy was not in the best shape. The actions of British soldiers and local detachments loyal to the British authorities against the civilian population of Ireland evoked a completely adequate reaction among ordinary Irish people - resistance. British troops could not resist the elusive "flying squads" of Irish partisans, who fought on their own territory and enjoyed the support of the local population. It became obvious that it was necessary to either destroy everyone and everything on the island, or assign a soldier to each Irishman.

In 1921, the Commander-in-Chief of British forces in Ireland, General McCready, bluntly told the government that the present war could not be won. As a result, London was reluctantly forced to turn to the Irish partisans with a proposal for a truce and the start of negotiations. Ironically, the situation of the militants themselves was quite unenviable - they were running out of ammunition, money was running out, and they themselves were beginning to get tired of the war.

The negotiations were difficult, but as a result the parties came to a compromise - Ireland gains partial independence, formally remaining under the British crown. In March 1920, the Irish Administration Act was passed in London. This act created a separate parliament for six counties (Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone). This area, comprising about one-fifth of the island's territory but with a population of one-third of its total inhabitants, was officially named Northern Ireland. The rest of Ireland (26 counties) was called Eire. On June 22, 1921, the elected parliament of Northern Ireland (Stormont) began work.

On December 6, 1921, the leaders of Sinn Fein, on the one hand, and the leaders of the English government, Lloyd George, Churchill and Chamberlain, on the other hand, signed the “Articles of Agreement between England and Ireland” in London. In accordance with this treaty, 6 counties, called Ulster, remained part of the British Empire, the remaining 26 counties formed the Irish Free State in the British Commonwealth.

Dividing the country into two parts was a compromise that did not satisfy either side. Most Irish people in the 26 counties reluctantly accepted the agreement. The militant minority refused to recognize the treaty. A split also occurred in Sinn Fein. De Valera and his supporters in parliament blamed Michael Collins, who led the delegation, for the failure of the mission, although he achieved much more than could have been expected. He managed to agree with London on partial autonomy for Ireland, although during the previous 700 years there had been no talk of any autonomy at all. But De Valera and his faction took radical positions and demanded complete independence.

Patriot Games

Supporters of the peace treaty won the elections to the Doyle Erin parliament. Meanwhile, the radicals with de Valera organized the Irish Republican Army (or the "Irregulars", as they were called from the point of view of the Irish government) - as a counterweight to the Irish Free State Army. A civil war began in the country, which lasted until the spring of 1923. Ironically, more Irish were killed in it than in the Anglo-Irish War. But the Ulster question of the division of Ireland was never resolved. After the war, the IRA went underground, declaring that it would fight to achieve its goals to the end.

The methods of struggle used by the IRA remained the same - explosions and attacks on government institutions. Customs posts and police stations on the Ulster border were attacked. The campaign went with varying degrees of success - the Irish police arrested the militants, who responded by killing the police. On the eve of World War II, Irish radicals decided to take advantage of the upcoming military conflict in order to gain complete independence from Great Britain. In 1939, the IRA issued an ultimatum demanding that His Majesty's government withdraw troops from Ulster, and that the Irish government immediately incorporate 6 counties into Eire (as the Irish state was now called). The ultimatum went unanswered, and the IRA launched a campaign of terror that lasted 8 months. In total, more than 300 explosions were carried out. But in 1941, the IRA chief of staff, who was responsible for the campaign, was captured and shot, after which the IRA ceased active activity for a long time.

IRA activity intensified from the mid-1950s. In 1949, Eire left the British Commonwealth and declared itself the Irish Republic. The issue of Ulster remained unresolved - Great Britain refused to consider it. Northern Ireland remained a hot spot, with ongoing clashes between the Catholic minority and Protestants. The economic problems of the region were superimposed on the religious ones, since Ulster Catholics, who were a minority, felt like second-class citizens under conditions of economic and political discrimination.

In 1956, the IRA launched the Border Campaign, which lasted 6 years, under the slogan “Defeat the State, the Army and the Police.” Over the years, several hundred raids were carried out on arms depots, radio stations, customs and police establishments on the Ulster border. Despite their number, most of these actions ended ingloriously, and the raids themselves were shootouts in the spirit of the Wild West - a car raced along a village street, a police station was fired upon, after which the car with the militants disappeared into the distance. Following mass arrests by British security forces, the campaign ceased. But the IRA did not even think about retiring.

“We will go as one, some with a knife, some with a gun...”

By the end of the 1960s, Catholics in Northern Ireland began to fight for their civil rights, which naturally provoked resistance from the Protestant majority. Protestant militant organizations began to attack Catholics, and they turned to the IRA for protection.

In the summer of 1969, violent street clashes broke out in Ulster between Catholics and Protestants in the cities of Londonderry and Belfast. In June, clashes in Londonderry left 49 people injured and more than 40 arrested in one day alone. In Belfast, about 100 people were injured and dozens were detained by police. By August 1969, Belfast had turned into a battlefield: barricades were built in the city from barrels, overturned trucks, and burned cars. Dozens of people died, hundreds were injured, and thousands were left homeless. The unrest spread to other cities.

To prevent bloodshed in August 1969, Great Britain sent army units to Northern Ireland. Initially, Catholics perceived the introduction of troops positively, since they saw the soldiers as protection against radical Protestants. But very soon they were to be disappointed - the soldiers perceived Catholics not as objects of protection, but as bandits and treated them accordingly.

In connection with these events, disagreements arose within the IRA leadership regarding the use of armed struggle against the British. In January 1970, the IRA split into two factions: "official" and "provisional". The "Official IRA" assumed the use of weapons only for self-defense. The “Provisional IRA” was focused on conducting active terrorist activities, including on the territory of England.

The IRA gradually became a force to be reckoned with. On August 9, 1971, the Ulster government decided to intern, and in fact arrest, well-known leaders of the movement. More than 300 people were arrested and jailed without trial. The reaction to the authorities' actions was extremely harsh. When the public learned that detainees were being tortured and denied basic civil rights, anger spilled into the streets. Protest marches took place in Ulster. One of these marches took place in Londonderry on January 30, 1972, later called "Bloody Sunday".

Thousands of demonstrators gathered for the peaceful march. The government banned the march, but since the gathering of people became a fact, the authorities did not dare to disperse the demonstrators. In addition, the IRA made it clear that it would not undertake any illegal acts. Nevertheless, units of British paratroopers were brought into the city.

The demonstrators marched through several areas and ran into an army barricade. It is difficult to say what exactly happened next because of the passage of years. The fact remains - the British paratroopers opened fire. Panic and chaos began. Initially the shooting was carried out with rubber bullets, but then the soldiers opened fire with real ammunition. At some point, the soldiers lost their composure and began shooting at obviously unarmed people who were trying to help those who were wounded.

Immediately after the incident, the leadership of the British army stated that the British soldiers only returned fire with fire. However, not a single English soldier sought medical help after Bloody Sunday, and numerous testimonies from march participants indicated that there were no people with weapons in the crowd of demonstrators. During the massacre, 13 civilians were killed and 14 were injured.

“I have come from Ireland, my lords, to tell you: the rebels have risen, taking up arms against the English...”

As a result, after Bloody Sunday, a wave of volunteers joined the ranks of the IRA. The events of January 12 only played into the hands of the IRA - a skillfully carried out propaganda campaign attracted the attention of almost the whole world to the situation in Northern Ireland. Her Majesty's Government responded to the events in its own way - on March 24, 1972, the Northern Irish Parliament was dissolved, and direct rule from London was introduced in Ulster. In response to this, on July 21, 1972, the IRA staged “Bloody Friday” in Ulster - 26 explosions were carried out in Belfast, 9 people were killed and 130 were injured.

That same summer, truce negotiations were held in London, and the IRA announced a ceasefire, but the negotiations turned out to be just a tactical ploy by British politicians, and the undeclared war flared up with renewed vigor. Another truce was declared in 1974, but it did not lead to the desired result. The IRA continued to carry out bombings, and in response, London gave the unspoken go-ahead for the security forces to “destroy Irish militants like rabid dogs.” The search, arrest, and in some cases outright murder were carried out by special forces of the Royal Constables of Ulster and army commandos from the 22nd SAS Regiment - Special Air Service, an elite unit of Her Majesty's troops.

In August 1979, the IRA killed Lord Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth II's uncle, and simultaneously blew up 18 paratroopers in County Down. The British responded with increased repression. The repression affected not only those militants who were hiding in the forests and farms of 6 districts, but also those who were already in prison. The British government considered the arrested IRA militants not prisoners of war, as they demanded, but terrorists. Torture and abuse were used in prisons. After several IRA members died as a result of a long hunger strike in Long Kesh prison, including the young Irishman Bobby Sands, who became a symbol of the resistance movement, the intensity of passions on both sides seemed to gradually begin to subside.

All this time, the parties maintained informal contacts, but, alas, to no avail. The reason for this was the reluctance of the British to understand the problems of Ulster, on the one hand, and the unacceptable demands of the IRA, on the other. As a result, both sides began to come to the conclusion that military victory in this conflict was unattainable for either side. Despite this, violence continued.

In December 1983, terrorists carried out a bombing in front of the Harrods department store in London, killing 5 people and injuring 37. In March 1988, SAS commandos killed three IRA members, including a woman, in Gibraltar (Spain). During the funeral, a protest gunman fired into the crowd and killed three people. Three days later, during another funeral procession, IRA militants killed two British soldiers who happened to be nearby.

Nevertheless, by the mid-1990s, some progress had been made - on August 31, 1994, the IRA announced the cessation of all hostilities, and in the summer of 1996, negotiations between representatives of Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic and the Sinn Fein party began for the first time, ending with signing on April 10 The 1998 peace “Good Friday Agreement”, which provided for Ulster to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Hand over your gun, let's go home

So what does the current IRA statement mean? Naturally, it will take time to be convinced of the seriousness of the intentions of the organization's management. But some conclusions can be drawn now. Most likely, the IRA will hand over its weapons, and perhaps in an amount as close to full as possible. The International Disarmament Commission recently officially confirmed that the IRA had indeed eliminated part of its clandestine arsenal.

It can also be assumed that the IRA will demand that London make concessions - to provide full self-government for Northern Ireland, including transferring law enforcement to the Ulster authorities. Some of the demands will probably be met, but some will become the subject of further bargaining.

Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, photo from sinnfein.org

With some caution, we can say that the war, which shook the British Isles for 30 years, has, if not come to an end, then approached the stage beyond which peace is visible. Of course, many questions remain unresolved, in particular the existence of the most radical groups - for example, the True IRA, which broke away from the organization in 1998 after the Good Friday Agreement. The “true” did not abandon terror. It was on their conscience that one of the most notorious terrorist attacks of the 1990s lay - the explosion in the city of Omagh, which killed 29 people and injured about 200 more. But there is hope that they will not be dealt with for another 30 years, but will be dealt with faster.

An interesting explanation for the statement on July 28 was presented by one of the leading Russian experts on the Ulster problem, Yuri Andreychuk. In his opinion, the IRA’s statement of renunciation of armed struggle and disarmament is a public statement of the existing state of affairs. The IRA hasn't really fought for a long time. Simply because it was no longer profitable for her to fight - the population of Ulster was tired of the war. At the same time, achieving real political, and mainly economic goals, including equalizing the rights of the Catholic minority with Protestants, has long been possible without war.

The IRA itself has changed. The “romantic” stage, when militants pursued political goals and were selflessly devoted to ideals, ended back in the 1980s. Now the IRA controls a number of business areas, including the arms trade, smuggling of alcohol and tobacco, as well as audio and video products. And doing business in peace is much more profitable.

Time will tell the value of IRA statements. If the words spread by the media on July 28 become true, then Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has a chance to go down in Irish history as the “Great Peacemaker.” And in 30 years, ballads and songs will be sung about him - just as they were sung about the heroes of the IRA of the 1920s - 1980s.

The Defense Forces (Ogli ne Hérann - literally translated as "warriors of Ireland", traditionally referred to the volunteer units of the Irish nationalists) consist of an army, an air corps, a naval service and a reserve.
The Irish Army was born in the fire of the struggle for independence and civil war in the early 20s of the twentieth century.

Since then, the Irish army has not taken part in major wars. In the 70s and 80s, the Irish Army was deployed on the border with Northern Ireland to support the border guards.
Since 1958, Irish soldiers have constantly participated in various UN peacekeeping operations.

At the moment, the army numbers 8 and a half thousand people, traditionally formed on a volunteer basis.
At first, they even tried to ensure that the army communicated exclusively in Irish, but this matter has long been abandoned, the working language in the army is English, and only beautiful official names are written in Irish and cheerful chants are pronounced.

And titles too. In Irish, a sergeant would be sayrsynth, a colonel would be coirneal, etc. – for the most part, the titles look like distorted English names for some reason. Some, like the rank of seafrushairsinth complah (this is what the Irish call a company quartermaster sergeant), are difficult for the Irish themselves to pronounce :)

The infantry consists of 7 battalions (1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 12th, 27th and 28th - all light infantry) and two separate companies at the army training center. They are organized into two infantry brigades - the 1st (South) and 2nd (North), based in Cork and Dublin respectively.

The cavalry includes the 1st Armored Cavalry, 1st and 2nd Cavalry Squadrons.

Armored cavalrymen ride on BRM (according to the British classification - light tanks) "Scorpion", ordinary ones - on armored vehicles "Piranha" of Swiss production.
Actually, the Scorpions and the L-118 and L-119 artillery guns are now the only British weapons in the army of the Republic of Ireland.

Mostly the Irish buy European and Canadian weapons, the standard infantry weapon is the Austrian Steyr AUG, the special forces are armed with various Heckler-Kochs.
Artillery is represented by a field artillery battery and an air defense battery.

The most important (and the only truly combat-ready) part of the Irish army is the special forces, the Army Rangers or "fiannogla" in Irish. The unit was created in March 1980 and has about 150 operatives specializing in counter-terrorism operations, combat reconnaissance, hostage rescue, and more.

Acts in close cooperation with the Directorate of Military Intelligence. It was the Rangers who represented Ireland in the most dangerous foreign missions under the auspices of the UN - like in Somalia, East Timor or Liberia, 1 special forces soldier was even killed.
The rangers' main base is Camp Caragh in Kildare.

Only about one and a half thousand people serve in the aviation and navy combined. Aviation consists of 26 aircraft, among which there are no combat aircraft - only patrol, transport, training and helicopters.

The fleet includes 8 ships of our own and British construction, various patrol vessels from boats to the flagship "Etne" - a patrol ship-helicopter carrier.
The names of the ships are preceded by the prefix LE (Lonch Eireannach - that is, “Irish ship”). The main base is on Holbowleen Island near Cork.

Ireland is not a member of NATO, but over the last decade it has been participating in various military projects of the European Union; the Irish, together with the Scandinavians and the Baltic states, are members of the Northern Battle Group, based near Stockholm.

Ulster Defense Association(English: Ulster Defense Association) is a banned Protestant paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. Also known as the Ulster Freedom Fighters. In the EU, USA and UK it is considered terrorist.
Formed in September 1971 in response to the creation of the Catholic Irish Republican Army (IRA - Irish Republican Army). Has up to 4 thousand members. The statutory purpose is “to protect the Protestant population of Ulster from terrorists and to counter attempts to separate Northern Ireland from Great Britain.”
The main sources of financing are considered to be drug trafficking and kidnapping.
It competes with another similar Protestant organization, the Ulster Volunteer Front.

The largest Protestant armed organization in Northern Ireland.

The UDA arose in September 1971 on the initiative of Andy Tyrie in response to terrorism by Irish extremists. When it arose, it united several groups of B-Specials of the paramilitary formation Ulster Defense Regiment.
The purpose of the activity is to protect the Protestant population of Ulster from terrorist attacks and counter attempts to separate Northern Ireland from Great Britain. During the PIRA bomb wars of the 1970s, the UDA waged an armed campaign to "protect the streets".

Ideologically, the UDA is oriented toward left-wing socialism and is seen as a workers' organization.

The first combat operation was carried out in 1973; The group was outlawed in 1974. Together with other Protestant groups, it is part of the United Loyalist Military Command (see). Since 1997, there has been a de facto ceasefire.

Unofficial names of UDA- unionists: loyalists.
Governing military body- Insider advice. Includes seven “brigade” commanders and a special unit commander. The personnel is unknown.
The WF headquarters is supposedly located in the Shankill Rhodes area (West Belfast).
Number (as of the mid-90s) - St. 200 militants (some of them simultaneously operate in the structure of the derivative formation Ulster Freedom Fighters). If necessary, the group can mobilize at the expense of activists of party cells.
Organizational structure- separate “brigades” / “battalions”.
Armament - various modifications of the AK group, English SA-80 automatic rifles, pump-action shotguns, submachine guns (homemade samples based on the Israeli UZI and Danish Madsen), M60 machine guns, Browning pistols; RPG-7 grenade launchers; RRM mortars (handicraft production based on industrial pipes); hand grenades; BB. Some of the weapons and ammunition were purchased in 1993 from Eastern European countries.
Operational zones- Greater Belfast (up to four “brigades” operate), Derry, Antrim. There is an autonomous unit in Scotland (responsible for weapons smuggling and fundraising).
Operational Parameters- selective physical terror with the use of firearms against representatives of the Catholic movement and paramilitary groups (as part of the “Defend the Streets” campaign). Operations are carried out mainly by secret urban combat groups (3-5 people each). The use of explosives is generally limited; At the same time, among the militants there are former military personnel - sappers. As a result of UDA terrorist attacks by 1997, St. 100 people
Independent factions/ derived factions / shadow groups - Ulster Freedom Fighters (see); Young Ulster Militants; Ulster Unionist Security (spokesman Ken Maggines); Ulster Defense Regiment; Royal Irish Regiment, Ulster Special Constabulary Association USCA (the last three structures are veteran organizations associated with the British Armed Forces units of the same name).
Political wing- Ulster Democratic Party (leader - Harry McMichael).

ULSTER FREEDOM FIGHTERS(ULSTER FREEDOM FIGHTERS/UFF)
Paramilitary group of the Protestant community of Northern Ireland (Great Britain). Perhaps it is an independent structural unit of the Ulster Defense Association group. In July 2001, the group announced its withdrawal from the ceasefire (which had been in place since 1994).
Leader - Johnny Adair.
The number of militants is unknown (within several dozen).
Armament - automatic small arms, RG, explosives. Operational Parameters- terrorist attacks against representatives of the Catholic community. The UFF leadership claimed responsibility for the murder of the political representative of the Catholic community, MP P. Wilson in 1973.
Structure of political cover- Progressive Unionist Party (PUP).

ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE(ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE/UFV)
Illegal military-political group of the Protestant community of Northern Ireland - Ulster. Formed in 1966; in historical terms, it is considered the successor to the Ulster Covenant organization, created in 1912. The main demands of the political program are the preservation of the territory within Great Britain; forceful liquidation of the Irish Republican Army. At the initial stage it acted as a structural component of the Ulster Defense Association (UDA); then it actually became an independent unit. The peak of operational activity was recorded in 1970 - 75; the declining phase has continued since 1976 after the arrest of the main part of the leadership. Since 1997, the UVF has been involved in the negotiation process for a political settlement of the conflict; generally complies with the ceasefire agreement. Since the end of 1999, the group has been in conflict with other Protestant groups (UDA, UFF, LVF) due to different approaches to the peace process. Other names - Protestant Action Group (forces).
The composition of the management for the current period is unclear.
Number (as of mid-2001) - 150 - 200 core militants (decreased from the level of 1,500 people in 1972). The organization of the VF is “brigades” / “battalions”.
Weapons:
Small arms: Colt-Commando automatic rifles, Armalit automatic rifles; 9mm homemade submachine guns based on the Ingrham Mk-10, Stan, Sterling model; sawed-offs; Browning, Walter pistols; Magnum 357 revolvers (the total number of barrels as of 1997 is estimated at 200 units)
RPG-7 grenade launchers, explosives: Powergel 900, Gelignite, Powergel, derivative substances based on sodium chlorate

Arms and ammunition were purchased by support structures in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa, and Eastern European countries; supplied by the Lebanese Christian Militia (1987); some were stolen from army warehouses. In 1993, a shipment of small arms from Poland (up to 500 units) was intercepted; Attempts to acquire Blowpipe MANPADS were recorded. All available weapons and ammunition are subject to accounting, surrender and disposal within the framework of the political settlement agreement.
Main operating area- Belfast. Some operations are carried out on the territory of the Irish Republic. Operational Parameters- terrorist attacks using firearms and IEDs (explosive equivalent of up to 12 kg of TNT at a time) against members of the Catholic community and IRA activists in the territory.
Political wing- Ulster Progressive Unionist Party (leaders - David Trimble, David Erwin), Ulster Democratic Party.
Special branch- UVF branch in Scotland (provides the purchase and transfer of weapons).
Secessionist faction- Loyalist’s Volunteer Force.
Funding channels- party financial sources; donations. Some of the illegal structures of the UVF are involved in the drug trafficking system.

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LOYALIST VOLUNTEER FORCES(LOYALIST VOLUNTEER FORCE/LVF)

One of the most radical armed groups of the Protestant community of Ulster - Northern Ireland. Created in 1996 by hardliners who left the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) after its leadership agreed to a ceasefire. LVF dissidents sought to undermine the political settlement with Irish nationalists. They launched attacks on Catholic politicians and civilians, on Protestant politicians, adherents of the peace treaty.
When the organization was created, it was headed by Billy Wright, nicknamed the “Rat King.” Wright was killed on December 27, 1997 by three Irish National Liberation Army gunmen at Maze Prison. After Wright, the organization was headed by Mark Fulton "Whopper".
Wright's murder in December 1997 sparked a series of attacks by LAF militants on Catholics. In Portadown, the LVF organized mass riots, during which extremists destroyed the property of Catholics and attacked the police with Molotov cocktails.
Became part of the Joint Command of Loyalist Forces. Banned in July 1997. In 1998, it announced its formal accession to the political settlement process and the surrender of weapons. Official Registers - The US State Department's Register of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The leader is Mark "Swinger" Fulton.
Number of combat personnel- 100 - 150 people. (including 25 UVF veterans). Up to 25 members of the group are in custody. Military structure formed by the merger of the Portadown unit of the UVF (South Armagh Brigade) with the dissident factions of the UVF and UDA in North Belfast, South Down, Derry.
Armament - small arms (AK, PPM Uzi, Scorpion, 9-mm Czech pistols CZ75), RG, explosives (Powergel). Some weapons and ammunition were handed over as part of a political agreement; the other is stored in caches on the territory of the Irish Republic.
Operational Parameters- individual physical terror (in the second half of the 90s, 5 political murders were recorded); threats of terrorist attacks on economic facilities.

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DEFENDERS OF THE RED HAND(RED HAND DEFENDERS / RHD)

Paramilitary group of the Ulster Protestant community. Created in 1972 by John McKeag; banned in 1973. The peak of operational activity was recorded in the early 90s; signs of returning activity - since 1998. The group does not participate in the process of political settlement.
Other names: Red Hand Commando / RHC.
Official registers - the US State Department's register of foreign terrorist organizations; USA Patriot Act 2001
The numerical strength is insignificant(within 20 militants). Armament - small arms, RG; there are possibilities for assembling IEDs.
Operational zones- East Belfast, County Down. Operational Parameters- terrorist attacks using IEDs. 09.15.99 militants of the group killed an activist of the Catholic movement; in August 2001, an attempted terrorist attack using a car bomb was recorded; 09/05/01 an explosion was carried out at a Catholic school in Belfast.
Internal contacts- radical Protestant groups Ulster Volunteer Forces; Orangemen -
volunteers.

(external difference: red berets, gaiters and belts)

UNITED LOYALIST MILITARY COMMAND(COMBINED LOYALIST MILITARY COMMAND - CLMC)

Consolidated coordination structure of paramilitary Protestant groups in Ulster - Northern Ireland. Created in 1991 on the basis of the Ulster Army Council, formed on 12/10/73, to solve the problems of military-political coordination and ensure centralized procurement of weapons / ammunition. Since October 13, 1999 there has been a ceasefire. Members - Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Ulster Defense Association (UDA), Red Hand Commando (RHC), Ulster Resistance (UR), Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), Ulster Constable Special Association (UCSA) ). The command includes liaison officers from all affiliated factions.

Irish Republican Army

The activities of the IRA have intensified since 1954. In 1954, 1955, individual actions were taken (attacks on military barracks in Arborfield (England) in 1955, etc.). In 1955, two Sinn Féin MPs were arrested and stripped of their parliamentary seats for an attack on a military depot. The social base of the protest is workers, artisans, intellectuals, office workers, and farm laborers. The protest was caused by the activities of the British who had invaded the country and seized a dominant position in the economic and cultural spheres. But the English can be driven out by force of arms, which can be obtained from military depots and police establishments.

The IRA has been actively fighting for the reunification of Ulster with Ireland since 1956, under the slogan “Defeat the state, army, police and auxiliary forces.” The IRA Army Council said: "Resistance to British rule in occupied Ireland has entered a decisive stage." Since 1956, more than 600 raids have been carried out. The targets included weapons depots, radio stations, customs and police offices on the Ulster border. In 1957 the British carried out mass arrests. The campaign of terror ends in 1959, which was officially announced in February 1962.
In the 1950s, unlike in 1939, Irish civilians, military personnel and police were not attacked. Since 1962, the leadership of the IRA has been reoriented towards mass activities.

In June - July 1969 there were street clashes between Catholics and Protestants in Derry and Belfast. To prevent bloodshed, the government of the United Kingdom sent army units to Northern Ireland in August 1969. Initially, the presence of the army in Ulster was positively perceived by the mass of Catholics, but the army was soon compromised by the pro-Protestant position. The city administration was subjected to repression. Catholics, often without following formal procedures. In 1970, the IRA split into two organizations: the “official IRA” and the “provisional IRA”. The split occurred over the issue of the use of armed violence in political struggle.
The “Official IRA” assumed the use of weapons only for self-defense. The “Provisional IRA” was focused on conducting active terrorist activities, incl. on the territory of England.

IRISH NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY
(IRISH NATIONAL LIBERATI¬ON ARMY / INLA)

Leftist terrorist organization of the Catholic community of Northern Ireland - Ulster. The goal of INOA is the unification of Ireland and the creation of a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary state on its territory. Created on December 10, 1974 by Seamus Costelo based on the Dublin cell of the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA); the organizational period ended in 1975. Ideological differences were caused by the war with the IRA and PIRA that lasted for some time. This struggle continued from 1974 to 1977, when INLA founder Samus Costello was assassinated by unknown terrorists. Organizations have moved to joint coordination of activities.

Political program- Ulster independence. In 1986, the Irish People's Liberation Organization (IPLO) faction emerged from the INLA, which in turn split into the Military Council and Belfast Brigade factions in 1992. The main part of the INLA split in 1996 into factions of the core, the General Staff, and the Irish Revolutionary Brigade. As a result of the internal conflict, operational combat activity since the second half of the 90s. significantly reduced. There is no clearly articulated attitude towards the current process of national reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
Other names- People's Liberation Army; People's Republican Army; Catholic Reaction Force.
Formal leader of the core faction- Gino Gallagher (status unclear).
Governing bodies- Military Council and General Staff (the latter is responsible for operational planning, intelligence, personnel, engineering issues, financing and procurement).
The VF organization consists of two “brigades” in Ulster and separate cells in Ireland.
The number as of 2001 is up to 150 militants (including 50 - 70 people in Ulster, 20 - 30 in Ireland).
Armament (1998 estimate; some weapons, along with ammunition, were handed over for destruction as part of the political settlement process):

Weapon:
Garand M-1, Remington, AR-15 rifles, Scorpion, UZI submachine guns, AKM assault rifles (delivered from Libya and Rhodesia), SKS carbines, Ruger Mini-14, Mauzer, Springfield, VZOR, CZ75, Luger pistols
Support Weapons:
RPG-7 / RPG-18 “Fly” (100 units), DShK machine guns (3 units), 82mm mortars (2 units)
BB:
Gelignit, Semtex, Frangex, Gelemex.

Sources of weapons- Libya (until 1986), PLO (until 1986), Czechoslovakia, East Germany (until 1989). Weapons are also purchased through private entities and representatives of the diaspora in Ireland, Australia, the USA, France, Belgium, and the UK. Transit deliveries were carried out through Malta, Cyprus, Belgium (port of Antwerp), Switzerland.

Maximum activity zones- Belfast, southern part of Derry, County Armagh (Ulster); cities of Dublin, Limerick, Shannon (Ireland). There is limited activity in the main UK area.

Operational Parameters- physical terror against members of the Protestant community; individual terrorist attacks against political figures (using firearms and car bombs). The group is characterized by particularly unpredictable actions.
Since August 1994, the organization has refrained from proactive actions (all operations are carried out as counter-actions of retaliation for terrorist attacks by loyalist groups).
Political wing of the INLA- Irish Republican Socialist Party/Movement (IRSP/M). Derived faction - War Council (leader Jimmy Brown). The Belfast Brigade (leader Sean McLean) and General Staff factions were disbanded by internal decisions in 1992 and September 1996 respectively; the status of the Irish Revolutionary Brigade faction is unclear.
Self-financing channels- extortion; illegal expropriation of funds; control of the dealer network for the sale of drugs in Ireland and in Amsterdam.
External contacts(period of the 80s) - terrorist groups Action Directe (France), Revolutionary cells, Red Army Faction (Germany), Combat communist cells (Belgium). There was an INLA branch in Paris.

IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY - REAL

(REAL IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY / RIRA - TRUE IRA - DISSIDENT IRA / DIRA)

Terrorist organization in Northern Ireland - Ulster. Is a faction of hardliners from the Provisional Irish Republican Army / PIRA (see). Formed in February - March 1998 on the basis of cells: Committee of 32 Sovereign Counties (32 CSC); Political Pressure Group; Quartermaster General's Group (QMG PIRA). Opposes the course of the leadership of the main wing of the IRA towards a political settlement of the Ulster problem. The main opponents are Protestant groups and the political wing of the IRA - Sin Fein.
Official registers- the register of foreign terrorist organizations of the US State Department; Terrorism Act 2001 (UK).
Leader - Michael McKevitt (former Quartermaster General of the PIRA).
Governing Bodies- Executive Council (Army Executive Council) and General Staff.
Approximate number- up to 150 - 200 people. (including up to 30 former PIRA fighters).
Armament - firearms of various types; RPG-22 grenade launchers; several 320mm 12-barrel homemade mortars; RG; BB (including Semtex). In 2001, attempts were recorded to purchase weapons and ammunition in Slovakia and the Balkan states.
Operational Parameters- attacks on army patrols, police stations; terrorist attacks against economic targets; terrorist attacks in public places; dissemination of threats of terrorist attacks through Internet channels as part of information operations; robberies for the purpose of self-financing. Car bombs are used as the preferred means of terrorist attacks.

Political cover structures- 32 County Sovereignty Movement / Committee, created in December 1997.
External contacts- Irish community in the USA (the main support structures are concentrated in New York City). Contacts with paramilitary groups in the states of the Balkan Peninsula are recorded.

A nationalist organization has been operating in Great Britain for many years, the goal of which is to recognize the independence and independence of Northern Ireland. The paramilitary group, which does not shun terrorism, has its representatives even in the British Parliament.

Foundation and origin

The Irish Liberation Army was founded following the merger of the Citizen Army and the Irish Volunteers in 1919. The latter were armed units of Sinn Féin - an organization that was not originally a political party in the full sense of the word, originating from the nationalist party of the same name by Arthur Griffith, as well as the heirs to the organization of the Fenians - Irish petty-bourgeois revolutionary republicans.

After the conclusion of the treaty between the British and Northern governments, the Liberation Army (aka the Irish Republican Army, IRA) split. A significant part of it took the side of the Irish Free State, others turned their arms against their former allies. However, the first turned out to be stronger and continued to develop their business, while those who disobeyed soon went underground.

The anthem of the Irish Liberation Army is the Celtic song Ev Sistr.

War of Independence of the Irish Republic

The Irish Republic was first proclaimed in 1916 after the Easter Rising in Dublin. Then a new leadership was elected, and the IRA, recognized as the national army, was obliged to obey parliament. In practice, managing paramilitary volunteer forces was very difficult.

The Irish Liberation Army (photo below) took part in the War of Independence against Britain. The most intense fighting lasted from the late autumn of 1920 to the mid-summer of 1921. In general, IRA participation can be divided into three stages:

1. Reorganization of the army. Formally, the IRA numbered about 100 thousand people, but a maximum of 15 thousand took part in the partisan movement. The most famous “Detachment”, operating in Dublin, killed intelligence police officers and carried out raids on barracks.
2. IRA attacks on fortified barracks and (subsequently) British columns. Escalation of the conflict on the part of Great Britain: the introduction of martial law in certain parts of the country, the deployment of additional police forces and soldiers.
3. This stage is characterized by an increase in the British contingent, which led to a change in the tactics of the partisans. IRA soldiers attacked patrols, set up ambushes on roads, killed representatives of an objectionable religion, and then retreated to the mountains.

IRA involvement in intercommunal conflict

The Irish Liberation Army moved its center of activity from Dublin to Northern Ireland. In 1969, urban guerrilla tactics began to be actively used - this is a set of methods of waging guerrilla warfare in urban conditions, which found application, in particular, during the conflict in Iraq and the North Caucasus. In addition, the organization split into a number of separate cells, and some of these groups switched to terrorist methods of war.

To resolve the conflict, on August 14, 1969, London sent troops to the rebel region. The escalation occurred after Bloody Sunday, when the British shot at an unarmed demonstration of civil rights activists in Northern Ireland. As a result of the action, 18 people died.

At the end of May 1972, the Irish Liberation Army announced the cessation of active hostilities. But the British government refused to negotiate with the terrorists, so the militants resumed their attacks.

These attacks are not like those typically carried out by ISIS. Representatives of the organization warned of the danger by telephone 90 minutes before the detonation of a car filled with explosives. This both served as a demonstration of the organization's strength and reduced the number of casualties. The main targets of the IRA were British army soldiers, police officers and court staff.

Reconciliation between Great Britain and the Irish Republic

A truce was concluded in 1985. According to an agreement between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the latter received consultant status in resolving all sorts of issues relating to Northern Ireland. As a result of further negotiations, a “Declaration” was signed, which enshrined the principles of non-violence and suggested the possibility of forming a local parliament. Unfortunately, the implementation of the agreements was frozen due to new terrorist attacks.

In the summer of 1994, the IRA again announced a cessation of operations, but after the British proposed disarmament, the organization's leaders abandoned their commitment. In 1998, the leaders of the governments of Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed an agreement to devolve local government and hold a referendum that would determine the status of the region. The negotiations were disrupted after another terrorist attack on September 10, 1998, which killed 29 people.

A new stage of negotiations began in 2005. The 2006 report of the monitoring commission, which constantly monitors the situation in Northern Ireland, noted that the IRA has undergone significant changes. Most of the organization's structures were dissolved, and the number of others was reduced. According to the commission's experts, the Irish Liberation Army is no longer planning terrorist attacks.

Political wing of the IRA

Sinn Féin is the political offshoot of the IRA. The name of the party directly translated from Irish means “We ourselves.” In 1969, the party (due to an internal split in the Irish Liberation Army) split into “provisional” and “official”. This was facilitated by the escalation of violence in the region. The "official" wing of the party leans towards Marxism and is called the "Sinn Fein Labor Party". By the way, some of the most “red” in the world are not only representatives of the party itself, but also fans of the Celtic football team, who have volumes of Marx and banned books on the history of the IRA on their shelves. the Irish Liberation Army and its football club (formally a club in Glasgow, Scotland, but not in spirit) are not connected in any way except the basic ideas.

Schisms within the liberation army

The "Provisional" Irish Liberation Army formed in 1969 as a result of disagreements over how to respond to escalating violence. The "Official" IRA held most of the structures in the cities of Northern Ireland, except Belfast and Londonderry. "Succession" was formed as a result of contradictions in the Irish Liberation Army. The country (Great Britain) faced difficulties, since now it was necessary to negotiate not with one IRA, but with several, and even often entering into armed conflict with each other. In addition, there was also a “real” IRA, which immediately after separating from the “provisional” IRA began terror. Their last attack took place on October 5, 2010.

Weapons supply

The main supplier of weapons and financing to the organization was Libya. Particularly large arms deliveries took place in the 1970s and 1980s. One UK newspaper then even wrote that for a quarter of a century, virtually every bomb assembled by the IRA contained explosives from the shipment unloaded in 1986. In addition to Libya, funding was provided by Irish Americans, mainly by the NORAID organization, which went to the bottom after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

The Soviet Union, the CIA, Cuba, Colombia, Hezbollah, a paramilitary organization from Libya, the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the Kaiteseliit, a volunteer paramilitary force in Estonia, were accused of supplying weapons to militants who carried out terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland.

IRA actions: terrorist attacks and shelling

One of the most famous actions of the IRA was “Bloody Friday”. A series of explosions in Belfast resulted in the death of nine people and injured one hundred and thirty city residents. On the fourth of February 1974, a bomb exploded on a bus carrying British troops. In 1982, members of the IRA detonated bombs during a parade in two parks. The explosions killed twenty-two soldiers and injured more than fifty, but left one civilian uninjured.

In 1983, several explosions were heard near a London supermarket, which were prepared by the same organization. The assassination attempt by IRA soldiers on British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher took place in 1984. In 1994, members of the organization shelled Heathrow Airport in London with mortars, and in 2000 fired several shots on the eighth floor of the British Secret Intelligence Service building.

Irish Liberation Army in films

Perennials are reflected in popular culture. In 1971, the Italian film “A Fistful of Dynamite” was released on big screens, in 1980 - “The Long Good Friday”, in 1990 - “Behind the Veil of Secrecy”, in 1996 - “The Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones”, where the main character finds himself in the most the thick of events of the Easter uprising. The IRA is also mentioned in computer games, for example, in Far Cry 2 or GTA IV, and in animated series - the first episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons.

Based on the Irish Volunteer movement.

Under the leadership of M. Collins The IRA, using guerrilla tactics, took an active part in the Irish War of Independence in 1919-1921. Her actions were aimed at disorganizing the British administration. The number of IRA in 1919 was more than 15 thousand people. By March 1921, Doyle officially declared war on Great Britain, and the IRA moved to full-scale hostilities against British troops. However, the parties were not interested in escalating the conflict; on July 11, 1921, they concluded a truce, negotiations began that led to the signing, according to which the Irish Free State (26 counties, dominion status within the British Empire) and Northern Ireland (6 counties, an integral part of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). The treaty caused a split in the IRA. Supporters of M. Collins, who headed the Provisional Government, formed the basis of the army of the Irish Free State; his opponents, called freestaters, under the leadership of I. continued to offer military resistance to the Irish authorities. The Irish Civil War of 1922–1923 ended with the surrender of de Valera's supporters, but his units were not disbanded. Some of their participants created a political party Fianna Foil led by de Valera; the other remained in the IRA. In 1931 and 1936 the IRA was outlawed. In 1939, a number of acts were passed against its members, which made it possible to imprison supporters of the organization without trial.

During this time, the IRA continued to carry out military guerrilla actions against Great Britain, as a result of which 5 IRA leaders were executed and many were imprisoned. After the war, the IRA campaigned without much success for the unification of Ireland under one state. In 1955-1957, IRA activity increased sharply; raids were carried out on police barracks and administrative offices in the North. Ireland. In the late 1960s, amid growing tensions in the North. In Ireland, the IRA provided assistance to Catholic communities. In 1969 the IRA split into "official" and "provisional" wings. Representatives of both groups were supporters of a unified socialist Irish Republic. The "official" wing advocated mainly parliamentary tactics and, since 1972, has refrained from violence; representatives of the “temporary” wing considered violence and terror in the liberation of the North. Ireland from British rule by the necessary means. The latter carried out explosions and murders not only in the North. Ireland, but also in Britain and continental Europe. In August 1994, representatives of the IRA announced the suspension of all military actions in connection with the preparation of multilateral negotiations. Later, the IRA more than once resumed terrorist activities, but on July 28, 2005, its representatives announced the end of terrorist actions and commitment only to peaceful methods of achieving their goals.

Lit.: Adams G. Free Ireland: Towards a Lasting Peace. London, 1995. O’Brien B. The Long War: The IRA and Sinn Féin. 3rd. ed. London, 1999.