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public housing, and employment, particularly in the RISE OF THE PROVISIONALS, 1969–1974
civil service. Inspired by the civil rights movement in
the United States, in 1967 the Northern Ireland Civil After its formation, the Proviosional IRA began to
Rights Association (NICRA) was formed to agitate on set itself up as a Catholic defense force. Catholic
behalf of Catholic rights. neighborhoods in Derry and Belfast had become “no
Many Protestants (also called Unionists or go” areas after the riots; neither the British Army nor
Loyalists) felt that NICRA’s protest marches and the RUC was allowed inside them, a prohibition
sit-ins were merely a covert method of stirring up enforced by IRA snipers. Instead, the Provisionals
Republican sentiment. They began to organize coun- patrolled the Catholic neighborhoods, conducting
termarches and protests. During 1968–1969, marches punishment beatings of petty criminals and occasion-
by both sides had sparked riots. On August 12, 1969, ally executing them.
a Protestant march in the city of Derry incited a three- During this period, the relationship between the
day riot. The violence spread throughout the province British Army and Catholic residents deteriorated
and was particularly vicious in Belfast, where six severely, and IRA membership soared for two reasons:
people died and Catholic homes were burned. British the 1971 introduction of internment without trial,
troops were called in to restore the peace. meaning a suspect could be arrested and held for
The IRA made a lackluster showing as a Catholic months without charge, and the events of January 30,
defense force during the riots; Indeed, the Catholic 1972, a day known as “Bloody Sunday.” On that day,
population warmly welcomed the British troops, view- members of the British Parachute regiment opened
ing them as their only protection from the Protestant fire on a crowd of unarmed civil rights demonstrators
mobs and local police force, the Royal Ulster in Derry, killing 14.
Constabulary (RUC). A crisis ensued within the IRA’s The worst year of the conflict, 1972, saw 479
depleted ranks. At a meeting of the leadership in late people killed and more than 5,000 injured. In March
1969, the organization split. One faction became the 1972, the IRA detonated the world’s first car bomb in
Official IRA, which was dedicated to accumulating Belfast. On March 22, 1972, the British government
political power that could be openly exercised. The suspended the Northern Irish Parliament at Storemont
Official IRA declared a cease-fire in 1972 and has and instituted direct rule from London. The IRA
largely been inactive since (the cease-fire spawned the regarded the move as a clear indication that it was
Irish National Liberation Army). winning and escalated the violence.
The second faction called itself the Provisional In 1973, the British government made its first
IRA because its leadership and structure had not been attempt to establish peace, initiating secret talks with
formally codified. The Provisionals (also known as the IRA and public discussions with more moderate
Provos or the PIRA) were committed to a military Unionist and Nationalist political parties. The result
struggle as the only solution to Northern Ireland’s was the Sunningdale Agreement, which contained
conflict. They adopted many of the same structures as many of the same provisions as the current Good
the 1919 IRA, instituting a governing body called the Friday Accords. Protestant Unionists despised the
Army Council, organizing their forces into brigades agreement, and the Ulster Worker’s Council launched a
(one for each county) that were further subdivided massive strike, effectively crushing Sunningdale.
into battalions and companies, and associating with a The IRA did not see the agreement’s failure as a
political party called Sinn Féin, which had been asso- setback; ignoring the massive Unionist opposition, it
ciated with the original IRA. felt the agreement’s failure would make Britain
Viewing British military presence in Northern more inclined to withdraw. Declaring 1974 the “Year of
Ireland as the most important obstacle to Irish reunifi- Victory,” the IRA began a bombing campaign in Britain
cation, the Provisionals targeted British military itself, hoping it would push the British to withdraw.
installations and soldiers, the RUC and Northern Irish Forty-three people were killed in the attacks on
politicians, Loyalist paramilitary forces, and sites in England’s soil, 21 of those in the November 1974
mainland England in an effort to force the British to Birmingham Pub Bombing. The campaign, however,
withdraw. Although the IRA views itself as choosing had the opposite effect. Following the pub bombings, the
legitimate military and economic targets, in truth its cam- British Parliament passed the Prevention of Terrorism
paigns have killed far more civilians than security forces. Act, which gave the police sweeping new powers.