The Irish Republican Army

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Recommended: Conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland from the past

From the time of their creation in 1919, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has always been a fighting force behind the independence from Britain for all of Ireland. The IRA was an organization that was meant to help Ireland in their fight for independence and be the military support going into the future. Nevertheless, did the creation of the IRA really help Ireland in the end, or did it cause more problems than the Irish already had? Although the IRA was created to help aid Ireland in the fight for independence, their brutal tactics and their inability to compromise ultimately led to destruction and problems rather than peace for Ireland.
Early on in the Irish kingdom, it was clear that Great Britain wanted to own Ireland. Starting back in the time of Henry VIII, who crowned himself King of Ireland, the Irish knew that one-day Great Britain would try to claim their kingdom. After Henry VIII, other rulers imposed their will on the Irish. Elizabeth I brought Protestantism to a predominantly Catholic country. James I, in order to further what Elizabeth enforced, created Ulster in Northern Ireland and displaced the people who lived there before. In the early 1800s, the kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain merged in order to create an improved kingdom. There were several problems because of the race and cultural differences of the two kingdoms. This would stir up many problems between the two throughout the years. As the years went on, the Irish people fought for a Home Rule bill to pass through their parliament. But, repeatedly the bill was struck down. Eventually a group of Irish Republicans had enough of British rule in Ireland and mounted a rebellion.
The rebellion was not only caused by because of the British failur...

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"Irish Republican Army (IRA)." National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. http://www.start.umd.edu/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=55 (accessed March 17, 2014).

Litton, Helen. The Irish Civil War: An Illustrated History. Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 1995.

Mackay, James. Michael Collins: A Life. Edinburgh, Great Britain: Mainstream Publishing Company LTD, 1996.

Moloney, Ed. A Secret History of the IRA. New York: W.W Norton & Company LTD, 2002.

O Brion, Leon Dublin Castle and the 1916 Rising. New York: New York University Press, 1971.

Smith, M.L.R. Fighting For Ireland? The Military Strategy of the Irish Republican Movement. London: Routledge, 1995.

The Free State. The Free State: An Saorstat, October 7, 1922.

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