Bloody Friday Attack Essay

At 2.40pm on Friday 21st July 1972, the first bomb planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) exploded outside Ulster Bank in Limestone Road, Belfast (BBC, undated). Over the next ninety minutes, 18 more bombs exploded around the city, whilst a further 2 were defused and 2 failed to detonate. In total, 9 people were killed, including 7 civilians, and 130 were injured in the attack that later became known as ‘Bloody Friday’ (BBC, undated). The PIRA were a republican paramilitary group that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland during a period known as The Troubles after the British Army was drafted in to help with rioting between nationalists and unionists in 1969. As nationalists, the PIRA believed that the ‘Six Counties’

They give speculative answers as to possible reasons why, including provocation and gaining support, but they do not go further into the history of the IRA and The Troubles. Using Crenshaw’s model on the Causes of Terrorism (1981), I will look at the varying factors that led to the formation of the PIRA and subsequently the Belfast

Preconditions such as historical opposition to British rule in Northern Ireland, as well as urbanisation by specifically targeting the city of Belfast were prevalent, whilst the event of Bloody Sunday just six months prior to the attack can clearly be described as a precipitant. Furthermore, the belief of the PIRA that by causing enough economic damage British troops would be withdrawn and thus succeeding in their aims, the attack can be seen as a rational choice. Finally, individual motivation was also key: the PIRA split away from the IRA three years prior to the attack because they wanted the group to use more aggressive tactics against the British (BBC, undated), meaning as a group they were all prepared to go to greater lengths and carry out violent attacks, such as Bloody Friday, to force the British to