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What is the IRA and what has it fought for?
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is the name that has been used by a number of paramilitary groups in Ireland and Northern Ireland, all with the aim of ending British rule and establishing an independent republic within a unified Ireland. Willing to use violence – even regarding it a necessary tactic – the IRA has been classified as illegal and a terrorist organisation by the British and Irish authorities.
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When was the IRA formed?
The movement for ‘home rule’, or self-government of Ireland, gained momentum in the 19th century, and gave way to revolutionary efforts in the 20th century. Following the Easter Rising of 1916 – a failed uprising in Dublin against British rule – existing paramilitary groups such as the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army were succeeded by a new group, the IRA, in 1919.
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The letter to Boris Johnson from the organisation representing the views of loyalist paramilitaries covers familiar ground in demanding the removal of the Irish Sea border.
A senior garda with a background in counter-terrorism and fraud investigation has been appointed to one of the top law enforcement positions in the world.
Detective Inspector Rory Corcoran has been announced as Assistant Director of Interpol’s Organised and Emerging Crime directorate (OEC), at its headquarters in Lyon, France, where he has been seconded from An Garda Síochána for the past two and a half years.
The Irishman secured the role after a global recruitment competition, beating off candidates from several of Interpol’s 194 member states, which is seen as a major endorsement of An Garda Síochána as a prominent player in global law enforcement.
Stephen Carroll
The Continuity IRA first came to public attention in July 1996 when it claimed responsibility for a 1,200lb jeep bomb which devastated the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen.
But its members were also linked to a 1kg semtex bomb discovered outside an Enniskillen furniture store in December 1994, just months after the first Provisional IRA ceasefire.
Between the late 90s and early 2000s it was behind several bombings in Fermanagh, a number of which included semtex taken from Provo arms dumps. Bombings at that time included a rocket attack on a police patrol in Lisnaksea, a landmine in Rosslea, explosions at the River Club nightclub in Enniskillen and a Customs and Excise office.