Region:
Western Europe

Status:
Cease Fire

Established:
1905 (Sinn Féin)

Leader:
Complex political leadership

Strength:
Several hundred, plus several thousand sympathizers.

History/Notes:
Northern Ireland came into existence with the British Government of Ireland Act (1920) which divided Ireland into two areas: the Irish Free State, made up of the 26 southern counties, and Northern Ireland - comprising of the counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh. Roman Catholics, who made up around one-third of the population of Northern Ireland, were largely opposed to the partition.

Sinn Féin is the oldest political party in Ireland, named from the Irish Gaelic expression for ``We Ourselves''. Since being founded in 1905 it has worked for the right of Irish people as a whole to attain national self-determination, and has elected representatives in every major Irish town and city.

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) was formed in 1969 as the clandestine armed wing of Sinn Fein, a legal political movement dedicated to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying Ireland. The Provos were formed from the Official Sinn Fein and the Official IRA. The Official IRA declared a ceasefire in the summer of 1972, and subsequently the term IRA has been used for the organisation that had developed from the 'Provisional' IRA. Organized into small, tightly knit cells under the leadership of the Army Council, the Provisional IRA was the largest of the three republican armed resistance groups.

The policies of Sinn fein under the leadership Gerry Adams from 1994 to 1998 led to a split in the Provisional Irish Republican Army during the fall of 1997, with one faction accepting the new Good Friday Agreement, and the New or Real IRA continuing armed resistance to British partition. The Provisional IRA has accepted the ceasefire and it has endorsed taking of seats the new Stormont northern Assembly. Direct Action Against Drugs (DADD) is a cover name used by the IRA.

On 19 July 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire, effective July 20. At the end of August, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced her finding that the cease-fire was being observed, allowing Sinn Fein, the political party closely identified with the IRA, entry into negotiations on Northern Ireland's political future. The July 20 cease-fire ended a 17-month terrorism campaign and led to the opening of inclusive political talks in September. Following the cease-fire there was a marked decrease--although not a total cessation--of sectarian violence. Police believe that paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland were responsible for 22 deaths, 251 shootings, and 78 bombings during 1997. Both republican and loyalist paramilitary groups continued to engage in vigilante "punishment" attacks, although there was a decrease in the number of such incidents even before the July cease-fire. Despite the lowering of the overall unemployment rate in Northern Ireland in December 1997 to 7.8 per cent, the unemployment rate for Catholic men in Northern Ireland remained twice that for Protestant men.

Stated Goal(s):
Removal of British forces from Northern Ireland; unification of Ireland.

Location:
Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain, and Europe.

Area of Operation:
Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic

Terrorist Acts:

• misc. bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, extortion and robberies
• before 1994 cease-fire, targets included senior British Government officials, British military and police in Northern Ireland, and Northern Irish Loyalist paramilitary groups.
• Since breaking its cease-fire in February 1996, IRA's operations have included bombing campaigns against train and subway stations and shoppping areas on mainland Britain, British military and Royal Ulster Constabulary targets in Northern Ireland, and a British military facility on the European Continent.

Other Links:

Sinn Fein Official Homepage
The Northern Ireland Conflict CAIN Web Service (Conflict Archive on the INternet)
Organisations That Were Prominent During 'the Troubles'
A history of The Troubles Belfast Telegraph
The Irish Republican Army and the armed struggle in Irish politics
Behind the Mask: The IRA & Sinn Fein by Frontline and PBS Online.
Archive of IRA Statements
Profile of Gerry Adams
Republican Sinn Fein
COTHROM - Promoting a just, peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland
Democratic Dialogue - devoted to research  into ways to ameliorate the Northern Ireland conflict
Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition - views of the residents from the nationalist Garvaghy Road.