IRA and USA, Vatican.

[alhoon]

I would like to ask the history buffs here that know such things, what was the sentiment towards IRA from the USA goverment back in the 60s and 70s and what was the sentiment of the USA people towards IRA in that era.

Also, I would like to ask how Vatican saw/portrayed IRA in that era.

[Arch-hereticK]

Why is that the only IRA period worth mentioning?

[alhoon]

It came up in a conversation. But feel free to tell me how the sentiment changed (or remain the same) throughout the years.

[Chukada1]

The IRA was popular on the Eastern Seaboard, mostly in the city of Boston. People would gather donations to send to the IRA.

There was general support from the young people I believe.

I could be completly wrong.

[removeduser_052420]

The IRA was popular on the Eastern Seaboard, mostly in the city of Boston. People would gather donations to send to the IRA.

There was general support from the young people I believe.

I could be completly wrong.

You're probably right, the East coast is full of Irish, and people who think that they're Irish. Massachusetts especially.

[jbersie]

The IRA was popular on the Eastern Seaboard, mostly in the city of Boston. People would gather donations to send to the IRA.

There was general support from the young people I believe.

I could be completly wrong.

You hit the nail right on the head there. At one point Boston was a major hub of Pro IRA activity i mean my dad has told me stories about people going from bar to bar to collect funds for the IRA and tons of people donating money.

Has to do with the fact that if you go to the south side of boston the main ethnic and ancestral group is Irish

[Ahlerich]

everybody has a drunken irish relative

[Azog 150]

^^Its also to do with the fact that people were clueless about the Troubles, and automatically thought 'freedom for Ireland, leprechauns and guinness!!' when they heard about the Troubles. Because of that cluelessness, the violence and bloodshed dragged on longer then it should have

[GreyFox]

^^Its also to do with the fact that people were clueless about the Troubles, and automatically thought 'freedom for Ireland, leprechauns and guinness!!' when they heard about the Troubles. Because of that cluelessness, the violence and bloodshed dragged on longer then it should have

Didn't help that the problem was caused in the first place by British policies of exclusion and discrimination against the marginalised Catholic population, and violence upon the Catholic community by Loyalist mobs and the RUC when the civil rights marches began, and later continued by the British Army.

[Danny_K_1]

The IRA had a cause but I loose all sympathy for them about the 80s.

[Azog 150]

I wouldn't be as bothered if those Plastic Paddies funding them actually knew about them and the Troubles. Some probably did, but I can guarentee the vast majority just jumped on the bandwagon with little to no knowledge of the conflict, and with a heavily romantisied idea of Ireland and went on to fund a terrorist group that blew up civilians.

Those that did know the IRA went around blowing up civilians and had a decent knowledge of the Troubles, but still continued to fund them I have more respect for then the ones who did it because their great-granddad was Irish. At least they knew they were funding a pretty ruthless terrorist group.

[dogukan]

as far as I know IRA was supported by the leftists....so USA should have been against them.

[Azog 150]

You would think, but as I said, most were clueless about the IRA. (I would like to points out- you should replace the word USA with the word Americans, or more specifically Plastic Paddies as the majority of the US population, along with the US government did not support or fund them)

And even then, it seems the absurd love of all things Irish by many so called Irish-Americans takes over any anti-Socialist feelings.

[dogukan]

You would think, but as I said, most were clueless about the IRA. (I would like to points out- you should replace the word USA with the word Americans, or more specifically Plastic Paddies as the majority of the US population, along with the US government did not support or fund them)

And even then, it seems the absurd love of all things Irish by many so called Irish-Americans takes over any anti-Socialist feelings.

well at least here in Turkey, they were supported by left...especially the radical left.

[Azog 150]

Yeah, they did have a lot of leftist support. If they ever got into power, they had a lot of very socialist policies. There was also a Communist wing of the IRA which was funded by the USSR.

[alhoon]

So, what I heard in this conversation is true...
Americans in the past unwittingly gathered money for a terrorist group.

I just couldn't believe it.

And why exactly the USA anti-terrorist agencies of the time, didn't round up IRA members gathering money, or put out at least a note of "IRA isn't just a group of insurgents fighting for religeous and national freedom of Ireland, they also harbor cell groups that engage in anti-civilian activities"

[Xanthippus of Sparta]

So, what I heard in this conversation is true...
Americans in the past unwittingly gathered money for a terrorist group.

I just couldn't believe it.

It's not that simple.

There's a long history of Irish-Americans supporting the IRA.

The Fenians...Irish-Americans, many of them Civil War veterans, launched attacks into Canada in support of the Irish Republicans. None of them were very sucessful, but they were a constant menace for about a decade after the ACW if I remember correctly. I can remember at least one assassination of an Irish-Protestant Canadian government offical that happened during this time. It was essentially another theatre of the activity that was happening in Ireland itself.

At this time, the US government actively looked the other way as this was happening.

I have a history magazine with a large article about this obscure subject, I'll find it if you want to know more...

In more modern times, aid for the IRA from Americans came mostly from financial support, and weapons smuggling. AR-18's and Barret .50 Cal sniper rifles were very popular with the IRA.

[alhoon]

I can remember at least one assassination of an Irish-Protestant Canadian government offical that happened during this time. It was essentially another theatre of the activity that was happening in Ireland itself.

At this time, the US government actively looked the other way as this was happening.

I have a history magazine with a large article about this obscure subject, I'll find it if you want to know more...

In more modern times, aid for the IRA from Americans came mostly from financial support, and weapons smuggling. AR-18's and Barret .50 Cal sniper rifles were very popular with the IRA.

Yes please, I would appreciate a summary of that article.

About the assassination, they killed someone because he was a protestant in the goverment? I thought Catholics fighting protestants ended somewhere in the 17th century.

[Xanthippus of Sparta]

Yes please, I would appreciate a summary of that article.

About the assassination, they killed someone because he was a protestant in the goverment? I thought Catholics fighting protestants ended somewhere in the 17th century.

You got it. Actually, I was able to find the entire article online (wow I love the internet).

Opening illustration (I was able to find the main pic from the mag too)...the description from Military History follows...

A fanciful 1869 depiction of the Battle of Ridgeway shows a pitched engagment on open terrain. In actuality, only the Canadians of the Queen's Own Rifles wore green uniforms, while the closest thing the Fenians had to uniforms were remants of those they had worn during the American Civil War (National Archives of Canada).

Fenian Invasions of Canada
By P.G. Smith
Military History Magazine, Feb. 2000

http://www.scribd.com/doc/208320/Fen...ions-of-Canada

About the assassination, they killed someone because he was a protestant in the goverment? I thought Catholics fighting protestants ended somewhere in the 17th century.

No way, as Motiv said this is and was a religious conflict first and foremost. Since the time of Cromwell the English have tried to stamp out Catholicism in Ireland, but, were ultimately unsucessful. They even tried to move Scots into Ireland to fight and subjugate the Irish, many Protestant Irish descend from these people. As do the people of "Scots-Irish" descent in the US...these immigrants were pissed off enough at the situation to leave Ireland completely for America, and formed the third major ethnic group to move to America, after the English, and Black Africans.

[Nevins]

No way, as Motiv said this is and was a religious conflict first and foremost. Since the time of Cromwell the English have tried to stamp out Catholicism in Ireland, but, were ultimately unsucessful. They even tried to move Scots into Ireland to fight and subjugate the Irish, many Protestant Irish descend from these people. As do the people of "Scots-Irish" descent in the US...these immigrants were pissed off enough at the situation to leave Ireland completely for America, and formed the third major ethnic group to move to America, after the English, and Black Africans.

+1 Yup, My Great-Great Granparents came over to live in boston after having left Ulster, to preach Lutheranism. Nuts huh?

Much of that animosity is still there, at least superficially. I have a few Irish friends (first generation immigrants) who refer to protestants as "Those ing prods". Strange stuff.