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

Border-Rat

Stained Class wrote: »

Looking back, the British people were amazingly tolerent.

Not once, as an obviously Irish fellah, did they pick on me because of 'our patriots' activity.

This was in the '80s

They never mentioned it to me.

I felt uncomfortable about the situation & explained that most of us, in the Republic, at least, hated these morons.

It broke the ice & shortly after I was promoted.

Glad to hear Bloody Sunday, the Greysteele massacre, the Miami Showband massacre, the LoughinIsland massacre and others didn't interfere with your career prospects in England.

statesaver

barney 20v wrote: »

Indeed,however as this thread is about the ira in whatever incarnation I choose only to comment on republican murders... Fair enough?

There are two sides in all conflicts. Piss poor just to pick one side.
Thread should be called "Was Irish and British terrorism popular in the 70s, 80's or 90's". Yes it was, over 3000 people were killed because of it.:(

barney 20v

statesaver wrote: »

There are two sides in all conflicts. Piss poor just to pick one side.
Thread should be called "Was Irish and British terrorism popular in the 70s, 80's or 90's". Yes it was, over 3000 people were killed because of it.:(

I didn't pick the topic , the op did... Pm them perhaps?

Ghandee

Stained Class wrote: »

Looking back, the British people were amazingly tolerent.

Not once, as an obviously Irish fellah, did they pick on me because of 'our patriots' activity.

This was in the '80s

They never mentioned it to me.

I felt uncomfortable about the situation & explained that most of us, in the Republic, at least, hated these morons.

It broke the ice & shortly after I was promoted.

You should count yourself lucky so.

In the mid- 90's I got the crap kicked out of me by four English blokes for absolutely nothing one night whilst heading home.

Sad thing is, this happened in my own country, and these English lads all wore British army uniforms.

I was 19 at the time (still a child really) driving my first ever car home from my then girlfriends house.

Mid journey, I got stopped by an army check point (green jackets iirc) and when I explained I had no license with me (it was a pleasant evening and i left my coat at the girlfriends house) they took exception to my obvious Irish surname.

I endured a few sharp digs, and one of the kind lads even did me the honors of spitting freshly coughed up phlegm both down the front of my t-shirt, and windscreen of my car.

I agree with your sentiment though, most of the UK citizens are tolerant people.

There's always that minor exception though.

barney 20v

Ghandee wrote: »

You should count yourself lucky so.

In the early 90's I got the crap kicked out of me by four English blokes for absolutely nothing one night whilst heading home.

Sad thing is, this happened in my own country, and these English lads all wore British army uniforms.

I was 19 at the time (still a child really) driving my first ever car home from my then girlfriends house.

Mid journey, I got stopped by an army check point (green jackets iirc) and when I explained I had no license with me (it was a pleasant evening and i left my coat at the girlfriends house) they took exception to my obvious Irish surname.

I endured a few sharp digs, and one of the kind lads even did me the honors of spitting freshly coughed up phlegm both down the front of my t-shirt, and windscreen of my car.

I agree with your sentiment though, most of the UK citizens are tolerant people.

There's always that minor exception though.

Sorry but at 19 you were an adult... Saying you were a child etc is not accurate.

Border-Rat

barney 20v wrote: »

Sorry but at 19 you were an adult... Saying you were a child etc is not accurate.

Are you a Unionist?

barney 20v

Border-Rat wrote: »

Are you a Unionist?

Why do you ask?

statesaver

barney 20v wrote: »

Sorry but at 19 you were an adult... Saying you were a child etc is not accurate.

Meoow

dd972

As far as the 'Ra are concerned as an example put yourself in the shoes of a Catholic growing up in the Short Strand or Ardoyne between the late 60's and late 80's, the Belfast of that era would largely shape your consciousness, especially if you had family or friends murdered by loyalist death squads.

It's no use sitting in Claremorris or Cobh thinking ''why are them Nordies not like us?''

On another point, the PIRA were so useless at protecting the Nationalist community it begs the question did they allow or want the Shankill Butchers and the UDA C Coy to murder Catholics with impunity ?

Chuck Stone

statesaver wrote: »

Meoow

More like....

Magill

Sigh... these threads always stink of ignorant opinions.

barney 20v

statesaver wrote: »

Meoow

All about context... Nothing more

repsol

barney 20v wrote: »

Sorry but at 19 you were an adult... Saying you were a child etc is not accurate.

I hope none of those gents were shipped home in a bag!You can't tar the British people by the actions of a few squaddies. They would be the bottom of the food chain.Most do a few years,get dumped out and spend the rest of their days doing crappy security jobs etc. I find the majority of Brits to be very nice people

Stained Class

Border-Rat wrote: »

Glad to hear Bloody Sunday, the Greysteele massacre, the Miami Showband massacre, the LoughinIsland massacre and others didn't interfere with your career prospects in England.

Yeah, you have your own slant on the situation & that's your privilage.

In times gone by, I'd have boxed your face off.

Being an immigrant in a foriegn country was bad enough, but to have this 'other stuff' contributed to Irish immigrants, at the time not having the confidence they should have then.

There was a lot of energy wasted by hatred on both sides.

sheesh

Popular? in places very popular

The current sinn fein TD for Kerry North was in jail for gun running for the IRA.

there would be black flags put out in tralee if an IRA man was killed in the north in the 80s and 90s.

in Fenit a port near Tralee when the Fisheries protection navy vessel would dock it would be stoned

the irish army used to regularly raid peoples homes in Fenit Looking for guns.

in the US a lot of money (millions) was raised for 'the Cause'

There rumors of the IRA funding Research Grants for PHDs. in Electronics and organic Chemistry

Ghandee

barney 20v wrote: »

Bringing up Omagh etc is necessary to show why the Republican movement fell on its ass in the late 90's. Not nit picking - just stating facts old boy!

In the late 90's, the peace process was only beginning in earnest by SF and the IRA.

Omagh was an atrocity carried out by so called republicans who opposed that fact.

Why have you difficulty in understanding this?

Its all here.....

The Omagh bombing (Irish: Buamáil an Ómaigh) was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, on Saturday 15 August 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. [7] Twenty-nine people died as a result of the attack and approximately 220 people were injured. [3][4][5][6][10] The attack was described by the BBC as "Northern Ireland's worst single terrorist atrocity" and by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, as an "appalling act of savagery and evil".

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omagh_bombing

Its a bit disingenuous to imply that

the Republican movement fell on its ass in the late 90's.

When the truth of the matter is that the 'republican movement' as most people would understand to be SF, and the IRA were only getting started on the peace process.

Border-Rat

dd972 wrote: »

On another point, the PIRA were so useless at protecting the Nationalist community it begs the question did they allow or want the Shankill Butchers and the UDA C Coy to murder Catholics with impunity ?

The IRA killed almost 1 UDA member for every 2 Catholics killed. The fact that the IRA hadn't got the intelligence resources of their enemies makes this a significant reprisal ratio. Armed patrols with M-60's and AK-47's put a stop to a spate of kidnappings in the late 80's/early 90's too by the UDA. The cowards found it less appealing when someone was shooting back.

More, it has to be said, than the so-called Irish Defense forces were prepared to do.

Chuck Stone

Border-Rat wrote: »

Armed patrols with M-60's and AK-47's put a stop to a spate of kidnappings in the late 80's/early 90's too by the UDA. The cowards found it less appealing when someone was shooting back.

Also, it's safe to say that the threat of pogroms by so-called loyalists evaporated when the PIRA got their hands on some weaponry.

Border-Rat

Stained Class wrote: »

Yeah, you have your own slant on the situation & that's your privilage.

In times gone by, I'd have boxed your face off.

Being an immigrant in a foriegn country was bad enough, but to have this 'other stuff' contributed to Irish immigrants, at the time not having the confidence they should have then.

There was a lot of energy wasted by hatred on both sides.

Aw, God love ye.

Stained Class

Ghandee wrote: »

You should count yourself lucky so.

In the early 90's I got the crap kicked out of me by four English blokes for absolutely nothing one night whilst heading home.

Sad thing is, this happened in my own country, and these English lads all wore British army uniforms.

I was 19 at the time (still a child really) driving my first ever car home from my then girlfriends house.

Mid journey, I got stopped by an army check point (green jackets iirc) and when I explained I had no license with me (it was a pleasant evening and i left my coat at the girlfriends house) they took exception to my obvious Irish surname.

I endured a few sharp digs, and one of the kind lads even did me the honors of spitting freshly coughed up phlegm both down the front of my t-shirt, and windscreen of my car.

I agree with your sentiment though, most of the UK citizens are tolerant people.

There's always that minor exception though.

I don't dissagree with you, but the experiances of people in the South are vastly diffrent to some in the North.

A lot of us view the IRA as a Cancer in Irish sociey.

We had a different life down here.

Magill

Border-Rat wrote: »

Aw, God love ye.

Poor lad had it rough man !

barney 20v

Ghandee wrote: »

In the late 90's, the peace process was only beginning in earnest by SF and the IRA.

Omagh was an atrocity carried out by so called republicans who opposed that fact.

Why have you difficulty in understanding this?

Its all here.....




Its a bit disingenuous to imply that

When the truth of the matter is that the 'republican movement' as most people would understand to be SF, and the IRA were only getting started on the peace process.

Just because you do not recognise rira as true republicans does not hide the fact they claim to act on behalf of the republican cause.

You can call them "so called" republicans I call Them republican murderers.
To me their is no distinction .
I am of the opinion that although the early stages of the peace process had started Omagh was one republican fcuk up too far.
Let me remind you the rira for the most part originated from the prov ira.

Border-Rat

Magill wrote: »

Poor lad had it rough man !

Watch it, ye might get a box up the ears with all 'yobbo' chat. He's a patient man, but only just.

Stained Class

Border-Rat wrote: »

Aw, God love ye.

Border Rat.

I worked very hard in the work that I did back then.

What did you do then? Were you even born?

Ghandee

barney 20v wrote: »

Just because you do not recognise rira as true republicans does not hide the fact they claim to act on behalf of the republican cause.

You can call them "so called" republicans I call Them republican murderers.
To me their is no distinction .
I am of the opinion that although the early stages of the peace process had started Omagh was one republican fcuk up too far.
Let me remind you the rira for the most part originated from the prov ira.

Jesus.

Right, well then that puts nearly every political party in the south on shaky ground so.

You're aware of FF origins I presume?
Then we have FG, where are their grassroots?
Labour/the workers party?

That's a poor analogy tbh.

barney 20v

Border-Rat wrote: »

Watch it, ye might get a box up the ears with all 'yobbo' chat. He's a patient man, but only just.

Attacking the poster not the post....sf way ?

barney 20v

Ghandee wrote: »

Jesus.

Right, well then that puts nearly every political party in the south on shaky ground so.

You're aware of FF origins I presume?
Then we have FG, where are their grassroots?
Labour/the workers party?

That's a poor analogy tbh.

Fifth time... I know my history.
I am addressing the issue of the op.
You called them "so called" republicans correct? You seem to support the prov ira. Fair enough.
You need to accept that those murderers originated from within your ranks....assuming you do in fact support the prov ira/sinn fein etc.

Border-Rat

Stained Class wrote: »

Border Rat.

I worked very hard in the work that I did back then.

What did you do then? Were you even born?

I was born in the 80's. I've seen my share of the troubles. West Brits didn't last very long where I lived. Especially ones who opposed Nationalists defending themselves so strongly, they'd back their opinions up with violence.

That's a right laugh, chara. So you'd 'box' people in the 06 Counties who supported the IRA in the 80's/90's? You'd have been shot, hospitalised and told to never return to this island.

The latter woulda suited you I'd guess.

markesmith

barney 20v wrote: »

Does it state prov ira only in the op?
Surely the Rira atrocities in Omagh are pertinent to this thread and subsequent Rira/circ/prov ira popularity !

How do you feel about the other side? You know...the oppressors.

barney 20v

Border-Rat wrote: »

I was born in the 80's. I've seen my share of the troubles. West Brits didn't last very long where I lived. Especially ones who opposed Nationalists defending themselves so strongly, they'd back their opinions up with violence.

That's a right laugh, chara. So you'd 'box' people in the 06 Counties who supported the IRA in the 80's/90's? You'd have been shot, hospitalised and told to never return to this island.

The latter woulda suited you I'd guess.

Sf justice folks.....and people vote for these fools?
West Brits..... Also what is the 6 counties.... I can't find it on a map.!

barney 20v

markesmith wrote: »

How do you feel about the other side? You know...the oppressors.

No one has ever oppressed me so......

Border-Rat

barney 20v wrote: »

Sf justice folks.....and people vote for these fools?
West Brits..... Also what is the 6 counties.... I can't find it on a map.!

Better than Unionist justice - kidnap men off the streets, hang them from the rafters then skin them alive. The most despicable animal on Earth couldn't stoop to that level.

Put your rocks away, you're in a very big glass house.

Hannibal

kilograms wrote: »

it gets sold in some pubs in Ballyfermot now and again

just to clarify on the earlier part of the thread when An Phoblacht was mentioned a number of times, it's now a monthly paper and not a weekly paper hence why people see it being sold less in the pubs etc and due its increased availability in newsagents I presume the need for it to be sold in pubs has diminished.


Anyway on a seperate note, there's someone who has been clogging up this thread with numerous nonsense posts. Just by looking at some of language and words used they remind me of someone who was previously banned from here around 12 months ago but I can't think of their name. It's not Keith anyway

repsol

Easy to be a tough guy on the internet. I doubt any of you would be so vocal face to face calling people cowards and talking about punching them.

Border-Rat

repsol wrote: »

Easy to be a tough guy on the internet. I doubt any of you would be so vocal face to face calling people cowards and talking about punching them.

The only person I've seen alluding to punching other people is Stained Glass.

Ghandee

barney 20v wrote: »

Fifth time... I know my history.
I am addressing the issue of the op.

No the title of the OP clearly states the IRA 1970's-90's

Omagh was carried out by a faction who opposed the peace process, your vainly attempting to connect this breakaway group to SF IMO.

barney 20v wrote: »

You called them "so called" republicans correct? You seem to support the prov ira. Fair enough.
You need to accept that those murderers originated from within your ranks....assuming you do in fact support the prov ira/sinn fein etc.

My ranks :eek:?

I do not have to accept something that is clearly not true.

barney 20v

Border-Rat wrote: »

Better than Unionist justice - kidnap men off the streets, hang them from the rafters then skin them alive. The most despicable animal on Earth couldn't stoop to that level.

Put your rocks away, you're in a very big glass house.

I could use many many examples of ira brutality but I won't.
I live in a democratic republic where all terrorist activity is illegal ty!

markesmith

barney 20v wrote: »

No one has ever oppressed me so......

Probably hard to empathise with any Northern Catholic viewpoint so

Stained Class

Border-Rat wrote: »

I was born in the 80's. I've seen my share of the troubles. West Brits didn't last very long where I lived. Especially ones who opposed Nationalists defending themselves so strongly, they'd back their opinions up with violence.

That's a right laugh, chara. So you'd 'box' people in the 06 Counties who supported the IRA in the 80's/90's? You'd have been shot, hospitalised and told to never return to this island.

The latter woulda suited you I'd guess.

That post confirms I was right all along.

On the other side, though, I've no experiance of living in the North & what went on there.

There's ingrained opions on both sides. Right?

How are we going to fix this?

Do we want to? Or are we going to sit in our own piss forever?

Is that what you want?

Border-Rat

Ghandee wrote: »

No the title of the OP clearly states the IRA 1970's-90's

Omagh was carried out by a faction who opposed the peace process, your vainly attempting to connect this breakaway group to SF IMO.



My ranks :eek:?

I do not have to accept something that is clearly not true.

Also: Every RIRA member that has ever been killed has been killed by the 'Irish side'

- Provisional IRA
- Gardai
- Irish criminals

The 'Irish side' are hardest on them!

Border-Rat

Stained Class wrote: »

That post confirms I was right all along.

On the other side, though, I've no experiance of living in the North & what went on there.

There's ingrained opions on both sides. Right?

How are we going to fix this?

Do we want to? Or are we going to sit in our own piss forever?

Is that what you want?

We are fixing it ourselves. There is no 'we' with people like you. Mind your own business.

barney 20v

Ghandee wrote: »

No the title of the OP clearly states the IRA 1970's-90's

Omagh was carried out by a faction who opposed the peace process, your vainly attempting to connect this breakaway group to SF IMO.



My ranks :eek:?

I do not have to accept something that is clearly not true.

Hence the question mark at the end and the usage of the word "assume "

Stained Class

Border-Rat wrote: »

We are fixing it ourselves. There is no 'we' with people like you. Mind your own business.

Have it your own way then.

barney 20v

markesmith wrote: »

Probably hard to empathise with any Northern Catholic viewpoint so

Why do I have to??? They are part of a separate country and I do not have to share they're viewpoint. I understand it.

grotmaster

They definitely had a well established safe house network in Sligo-Leitrim through the 80's, sympathetic locals who would house mysterious "uncles" for a few days before moving on in the night. I suppose every county had them.

bodhrandude

Im from an Irish family myself but was brought up in Scotland, sectarianism was really bad it parts of Glasgow where I grew up in the late 70s, early 80s. My family in earlier times were pro-Republican, me not so much, but I do like to sing the odd republican ballad sometimes, not the mad angry stuff of Derek Wharfield or the Wolftones, but more of an Andy Irvine / Christy Moore thing. Anyway the point Im making is there was a lot of anti-Irish feeling there.

When I was at secondary school at St Mungoes in Gallowgate, our school had to regularly run the gauntlet with the Protestant school Whitehill from up the road, these were crazy times indeed, many blades and knifes, scary stuff.

Ghandee

barney 20v wrote: »

Why do I have to??? They are part of a separate country and I do not have to share they're viewpoint. I understand it.

I'm done.:rolleyes:

Night folks.

You clearly haven't the foggiest, as is evident in your one sided, biassed, half baked excuse of a debate.

I think you should bow out from this thread, you've embarrassed yourself tonight with your piss-poor grasp of events in the north.

Possibly trolling, undecided atm.

dd972

bodhrandude wrote: »

Im from an Irish family myself but was brought up in Scotland, sectarianism was really bad it parts of Glasgow where I grew up in the late 70s, early 80s. My family in earlier times were pro-Republican, me not so much, but I do like to sing the odd republican ballad sometimes, not the mad angry stuff of Derek Wharfield or the Wolftones, but more of an Andy Irvine / Christy Moore thing. Anyway the point Im making is there was a lot of anti-Irish feeling there.

When I was at secondary school at St Mungoes in Gallowgate, our school had to regularly run the gauntlet with the Protestant school Whitehill from up the road, these were crazy times indeed, many blades and knifes, scary stuff.

Must have been interesting, am I right in asserting that the further you get away from Glasgow and the Central Belt, the less Sectarian Scotland is, I haven't lived there but I'd assume Edinburgh to be a lot less sectarian save for a bit of edgy banter and in places like the Borders, Fife, The Highlands, Aberdeen etc ,it being a non issue altogether.

Point I think I'm making is that Scotland's reputation as Sectarian is a bit unfair and undeserved.

barney 20v

Ghandee wrote: »

I'm done.:rolleyes:

Night folks.

You clearly haven't the foggiest, as is evident in your one sided, biassed, half baked excuse of a debate.

I think you should bow out from this thread, you've embarrassed yourself tonight with your piss-poor grasp of events in the north.

Possibly trolling, undecided atm.

Different views that's all , this is a discussion not a debate BTW.
And resorting to personal abuse does you no favours ...and for the record I mainly posted about my perception from an Irish catholic living in the republic.
If your inferring I am trolling by all means contact a mod, I stand Over my posts.
Once again to be Irish /catholic and non pro sinn fein seems to make one a troll in many posters eyes.

bodhrandude

dd972 wrote: »

Must have been interesting, am I right in asserting that the further you get away from Glasgow and the Central Belt, the less Sectarian Scotland is, I haven't lived there but I'd assume Edinburgh to be a lot less sectarian save for a bit of edgy banter and in places like the Borders, Fife, The Highlands, Aberdeen etc ,it being a non issue altogether.

Point I think I'm making is that Scotland's reputation as Sectarian is a bit unfair and undeserved.

No not so much in Edinburgh, but it still happens, Hibs and Hearts football matches would be similar to the Old Firm in Glasgow. My school was near Parkhead and Dennistoun. There were some tough Loyalist areas nearby such as Bridgeton and Duke Street, especially round marching season. Ive not lived in Glasgow since the late 80s, so I have no idea what its like now.