Was the Ira really that popular in the 70s,80s or 90s

sfwcork

I always wondered this.My neighbour who was orignally from the north told me before he was a member.I never knew to believe him or not.

Was it really that popular or was some of it hearsay or people wanting to be gangsta

kfallon

Bigger than the Beatles!

Mint Sauce

<grabs popcorn>

Kylo Ren

Aww man they were all the rage. You couldn't go out without seeing them plastered over kids tops, shoes, lunchboxes etc.

Then the lead singer left and everyone lost interest.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Yup, im sure you neighbour was in the IRA :rolleyes:

"Was itbreally that popular or was some of it hearsay or peope wanting to be gangsta "

Feckin hell.........../burns laptop!

Culleeo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBT4ZWy6Lm4

kilograms

The 70s and 80s especially, they got huge support because the catholics of NI were been treated very badly.

harry Bailey esq

yes they were.ever been to crossmaglen?

orestes

I'm from Tallaght, you occasionally see guys in the pub trying to look hard by saying they are in the 'ra, while little old men just sit sipping their pints and watching them quietly. Eventually one of the little old men goes over and says a quiet word in his ear and the hard man goes white and shuts the fukk up.

steddyeddy

Well in you include the early border wars of the Ira in the north, then no they wern't popular. The IRA originally had little support in the north. After the destruction of the civil rights movement, sectarian policies and particualrly bloody sunday the IRA gained huge popularity. The British government were ultimatly responsible for fueling that.

gallag

Only popular with people that seen no problem with killing women and children to get "the brits out" they actually set the Republican movement back decades, look how easy Scotland got to vote for independence and not a single dead child. All paramilitaries committed crimes against humanity and should be despised equally.

jonbravo

This country has a very large ira fractions look up the four members that where printing money underground and Notting has being done in 2011-2012. And address the question again!

squod

As popular as the British Army UDA

yupya1

Mainly people were just into the clothes and hairstyles

kilograms

gallag wrote: »

Only popular with people that seen no problem with killing women and children to get "the brits out" they actually set the Republican movement back decades, look how easy Scotland got to vote for independence and not a single dead child. All paramilitaries committed crimes against humanity and should be despised equally.

I think Scotland is very different situation than Northern Ireland. nobody agrees with killing kids and innocent people but both sides done it.

AnonoBoy

I'm still a fan of Ira. He penned some classics with his brother didn't he?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIpNepgmCQA

Father Damo

sfwcork wrote: »

I always wondered this.My neighbour who was orignally from the north told me before he was a member.I never knew to believe him or not.

The easiest way to tell that someone is not in the IRA is if he goes out of his way to tell you he IS in the IRA in a casual conversation. The Army Council really would not be too enamoured with recruiting lads who would be liable to spilling the inner workings of the organisation to randomers after a few pints.

flutered

the guys who were in the ira never ever admitted to any one if they were or were not.

barney 20v

kilograms wrote: »

I think Scotland is very different situation than Northern Ireland. nobody agrees with killing kids and innocent people but both sides done it.

Ah sure then!

gallag

kilograms wrote: »

I think Scotland is very different situation than Northern Ireland. nobody agrees with killing kids and innocent people but both sides done it.

Yep, both sides as I said. Heros did not plant bombs in shopping malls, throw grenades into pubs or shoot civil rights protesters.

ejmaztec

There was a lot of victimisation of Irish people in the UK as a result of what was done by the IRA. A couple of my relatives had to leave their jobs because they couldn't take any more of the verbal abuse dished out by some of the "Sun reader" types that they were working with.

padd b1975

I know of a guy who was drinking in a pub in the early 90s, a guy came in selling An Poblacht and big mouth says something smart to him about the IRA.

A few days later an envelope was pushed under his door. Inside was pictures of his kids going to school and where he and his wife worked.

There was also a demand for £5,000 and instructions on how to pay.

He paid the money.

kilograms

gallag wrote: »

Yep, both sides as I said. Heros did not plant bombs in shopping malls, throw grenades into pubs or shoot civil rights protesters.

forgot how much savagery went on up North. There were no proud moments

Where To

padd b1975 wrote: »

I know of a guy who was drinking in a pub in the early 90s, a guy came in selling An Poblacht and big mouth says something smart to him about the IRA.

A few days later an envelope was pushed under his door. Inside was pictures of his kids going to school and where he and his wife worked.

There was also a demand for £5,000 and instructions on how to pay.

He paid the money.

You know of a guy?

I'm far from the RA's biggest fan but that sounds like bollocks to me.

kilograms

ejmaztec wrote: »

There was a lot of victimisation of Irish people in the UK as a result of what was done by the IRA. A couple of my relatives had to leave their jobs because they couldn't take any more of the verbal abuse dished out by some of the "Sun reader" types that they were working with.

Although victimization did occur, it wasn't as widespread as people think

Dont call me Shirley

I think IRA support varied a lot geographically. There were (and still are) certain hotspots of support.

I have mixed feeling towards the cause tbh. I believe that, at times, violent struggle against oppression can be justified. On the other hand, violence based on national or religious identities is just tarted up thuggery.

kilograms

Where To wrote: »

You know of a guy?

I'm far from the RA's biggest fan but that sounds like bollocks to me.

A friend of mine lfrom Dundalk told me that when the IRA use to fundraise in the pubs in the 80s they would basically bully people into to giving donations. he told me his da put 2 pound in a bucket and the fella said 'is that all this cause is worth to you'.

Dyr

kilograms wrote: »

Although victimization did occur, it wasn't as widespread as people think

Indeed, the unionist population weren't victimised at all for a start.

ejmaztec

kilograms wrote: »

Although victimization did occur, it wasn't as widespread as people think

It was widespread enough for the people that I knew.

FlawedGenius

ahh the days when writing ira on desks and walls in estates was the fashion

candy-gal1

OP, your watching The Iron Lady on TV now arent you? :pac:

flutered

gallag wrote: »

Only popular with people that seen no problem with killing women and children to get "the brits out" they actually set the Republican movement back decades, look how easy Scotland got to vote for independence and not a single dead child. All paramilitaries committed crimes against humanity and should be despised equally.

all this recent talk about killing women and children, who started it, it is been used very frequently to tar people who gave up their lives for their beliefs, has any armed resistance ever managed not to kill innocent civilens, look at nam, how many were killed there, iraq, just too many, how any died the night dresden was bombed, can people speak of how badly catholics were treated in the north, or how about bloody sunday, maybe about the number of catholic houses that were torched, as i said, this they killed women and kids is growing tireing, what is the next bit of propaganda to be unvieled.

Father Damo

FlawedGenius wrote: »

ahh the days when writing ira on desks and walls in estates was the fashion

LOL :pac: I wonder are the kids still doing that.

mikemac1

I was new to the pub scence in the 90's

And there would be an old guy calling around to pubs selling An Phoblacht to drunk people

That was in the midlands

I have never ever seen that in Dublin or Galway

Maybe some pubs have sellers but I've never seen them

I bought the paper once, load of ****e

kfallon

mikemac1 wrote: »

I was new to the pub scence in the 90's

And there would be an old guy calling around to pubs selling An Phoblacht to drunk people

That was in the midlands

I have never ever seen that in Dublin or Galway

Maybe some pubs have sellers but I've never seen them

I bought the paper once, load of ****e

It's still sold in pubs

barney 20v

flutered wrote: »

all this recent talk about killing women and children, who started it, it is been used very frequently to tar people who gave up their lives for their beliefs, has any armed resistance ever managed not to kill innocent civilens, look at nam, how many were killed there, iraq, just too many, how any died the night dresden was bombed, can people speak of how badly catholics were treated in the north, or how about bloody sunday, maybe about the number of catholic houses that were torched, as i said, this they killed women and kids is growing tireing, what is the next bit of propaganda to be unvieled.

Unfortunately not propaganda.... Just facts..... Omagh for example.
I'm sorry it bores you.... People like you are why sf are growing in support.

mikemac1

kfallon wrote: »

It's still sold in pubs

Have been in most /well plenty of pubs in Galway city and never saw it

Would not claim to be in most pubs in Dublin but a fair few and never saw a seller

You couldn't go out on a Friday night in a midlands town without seeing a seller

I thought it was gone

ejmaztec

flutered wrote: »

all this recent talk about killing women and children, who started it, it is been used very frequently to tar people who gave up their lives for their beliefs, has any armed resistance ever managed not to kill innocent civilens, look at nam, how many were killed there, iraq, just too many, how any died the night dresden was bombed, can people speak of how badly catholics were treated in the north, or how about bloody sunday, maybe about the number of catholic houses that were torched, as i said, this they killed women and kids is growing tireing, what is the next bit of propaganda to be unvieled.

Didn't the IRA admit that the pub bombings, and bombings of civilian targets in general in the UK, were wrong?

That part of the campaign did absolutely nothing for any cause.

OCorcrain

Which IRA are we talking about here?

Dont call me Shirley

OCorcrain wrote: »

Which IRA are we talking about here?

The Artist Formerly Known as The IRA.

kfallon

mikemac1 wrote: »

Have been in most /well plenty of pubs in Galway city and never saw it

Would not claim to be in most pubs in Dublin but a fair few and never saw a seller

You couldn't go out on a Friday night in a midlands town without seeing a seller

I thought it was gone

Couple of guys do it in Drumcondra, think it's on a Thurs or Fri evening

Dont call me Shirley

Dont call me Shirley wrote: »

The Artist Formerly Known as The IRA.

That's Sinn Fein just in case anyone's getting confused.

kilograms

ejmaztec wrote: »

It was widespread enough for the people that I knew.

up to 10 of my relatives lived and worked and some still do live and work in england in the 40s up to the present day and they have never been victimized. i have had this discussion many times with them.

harry Bailey esq

i can confirm its sold in certain pubs in drumcondra. also a few pubs in finglas,cabra and blanch. id imagine its being sold all over the country. a lot of newsagents even stock it now

Super-Rush

There used to be a fair few IRA sympathisers down here when i was growing up. Mainly older men and women from my grandparents generation. My parents generation never carried on with it thankfully.

Cathal Goulding who was chief of staff of the IRA during the 60's lived up the road from me for a long time and was often in my house when i was a kid. He was close friends with my grand uncle.

brummytom

kilograms wrote: »

Although victimization did occur, it wasn't as widespread as people think

My mom went to a Catholic Girls' School in Birmingham, where 99% of the students would have been 2nd generation Irish. After the pub bombings, police guarded the school for fear of revenge attacks. My mom lived in a relatively English area and my nan (from Dublin) wasn't treated well at all.

Incredible anti-Irish feeling was very common in much of Britain at the time, and there are still plenty of places/people that have intensely anti-Irish views.

padd b1975

Where To wrote: »

You know of a guy?

I'm far from the RA's biggest fan but that sounds like bollocks to me.

Its a true story, the guys occupation probably had a lot to do with the level of extortion.

He was a prison officer at the time.

Basil Fawlty

Ive been drinking in pubs all over south county dublin for years and I have never seen an phoblacht for sale.

Chuck Stone

gallag wrote: »

Only popular with people that seen no problem with killing women and children to get "the brits out"

The murder of innocent civilians only ever hurt support for the IRA.

On the whole the IRA were a professional, dedicated, highly skilled and resilient force that the British Army failed to defeat.

kilograms

ciarancapri wrote: »

Ive been drinking in pubs all over south county dublin for years and I have never seen an phoblacht for sale.

it gets sold in some pubs in Ballyfermot now and again

gallag

Chuck Stone wrote: »

The murder of innocent civilians only ever hurt support for the IRA.

On the whole the IRA were a professional, dedicated, highly skilled and resilient force that the British Army failed to defeat.

What nonsense, they were murders like the rest ofthem, killing their own to line their pockets, murdering work men because of their religion, killing women and children, planting bombs in civilian areas. And they were defeated, not by the army but by the will of the people.