I think it was some time around 1970 or 1971 that the "Official" IRA made the decision to stand apart from armed struggle and only retaliate if attacked. Their view was that the civil rights movement would win as it had immense support throughout not only Ireland but on mainland Great Britain as well.

This did not sit well with some of the membership and so the "Provisional" IRA were formed. This decision resulted in almost 3600 deaths and over 35,000 injured.

I think that if it had been possible for the "Official" IRA to comment in the media at that time, they would be saying of the "Provisional" IRA more or less what Sinn Feinn are saying now about the "Real" IRA and "Continuity" IRA who let's face it came into being when the "Provisional" IRA was convinced that "their" armed struggle was getting them nowhere and that the only game in town was to junk the Armalite and use the Ballot Box.

Big Mick's post is the most depressing I've read on this thread, because reading that it screams the streotype of Plastic Paddy who will only be too pleased to dip his hand in his pocket to "Help the oul' cause", in the full knowledge that innocents will die. I would have thought that memories of 11th September 2001 would have illustrated how glamourous and righteous the terrorists cause is in real life. Significant that as yet we have yet to hear one word of condemnation of those attacks from the President, Vice-President or any member of their administration, the two unarmed young sappers of the Royal Engineers were dressed in desert camouflage and were within hours of deploying to Afghanistan to fight in common cause with US troops when they were murdered - and so far not a single word of condemnation.

As long as such as think as you do exist Big Mick and refuse to educate themselves objectively there will always be support and funding in the good old US of A for any gangster that springs from the woodwork wrapped in a tricolour with a gun in one hand and a bomb in the other - truly bloody depressing.

Some news for you Big Mick, the IRA be it "Official"; "Provisional"; "Real";"Continuity" never, repeat never had any mandate from the people of Ireland to kill the best part of 2100 fellow Irish men women and children, but not to worry eh it's over 3,000 miles away.