Irish Republican Army Is Outlawed in Great Britain
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was outlawed in Great Britain on November 25, 1974, following a deadly bombing in Birmingham that resulted in 21 fatalities. This decision came amidst a backdrop of increasing violence perpetrated by the IRA, including bombings and shootings, particularly aimed at British rule in Northern Ireland. The roots of the IRA can be traced back to the 1860s, originating from revolutionary groups opposing British control over Ireland. After most of Ireland gained independence in the early 1920s, the organization evolved, with the IRA becoming more radicalized in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s due to rising tensions between the Catholic and Protestant communities.
The IRA’s activities escalated significantly, leading to conflicts between its members and British forces, which prompted harsh measures from the British government. Despite being banned in Great Britain, IRA violence continued, including high-profile attacks such as the 1994 bombing in London's financial district. Efforts to achieve peace through negotiations and disarmament have been made over the years but have struggled to produce enduring solutions to the violence associated with the IRA both in Northern Ireland and in Britain. This complex historical context reflects the deep-seated issues surrounding Irish nationalism and British governance, which continue to resonate today.
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Irish Republican Army Is Outlawed in Great Britain
Irish Republican Army Is Outlawed in Great Britain
On November 25, 1974, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was outlawed in Great Britain following the bombing of a pub by IRA sympathizers in Birmingham, England, which killed 21 people. England has a substantial Irish population, including immigrants who came from Ireland to find better jobs and take advantage of other opportunities within England's more prosperous economy. With them came sympathizers for the terrorist violence of the IRA.
Britain's banning of the IRA came after years of dramatic increases in IRA bombings, shootings, and other incidents. The roots of the IRA go back to the 1860s, when militant members of the revolutionary organizations opposing British rule over Ireland decided to take up arms against the English. The name Irish Republican Army was later adopted by freedom fighters known as the Irish Volunteers, who fought sporadic battles against British forces from the end of World War I until the early 1920s when most of Ireland achieved independence from Britain. Only six counties in the north, where the primarily Protestant and pro-British population feared union with the primarily Catholic population to the south, remained under British control. This region has been known as Northern Ireland to this day.
In southern Ireland, the IRA became a largely peaceful organization, taking its place as a semiautonomous branch of the Sinn Fein Party which became the ruling party after independence and which absorbed a number of other revolutionary groups as well. However, beginning in the late 1960s more radical members of the IRA in Northern Ireland split from the main IRA organization in order to take increasingly violent action against British rule. The result was a massive upsurge in conflicts between IRA operatives and members of the British occupying forces, with hundreds of British soldiers being killed in the early 1970s and the authorities taking increasingly severe measures to restore order.
After the IRA began to take its bombings and other terrorist activities to England itself, such as with the Birmingham bombing mentioned above, it was outlawed within Britain. (This action had no force of law in independent southern Ireland.) However, this ban was not effective in curbing further IRA actions, which have included such serious attacks as the bombing of London's financial district in 1994. There have been repeated efforts over the decades to end the violence both in Northern Ireland and by IRA operatives in England, including peace negotiations and disarmament agreements, but as of the writing of this book, none of them has had lasting success.