From a background of peace in Northern Ireland that had lasted for years, suddenly sprang hatred and polarisation not seen in Ireland since the turn of the century. The IRA, as it was then, had lost much support and two campaigns of violence had petered out through lack of support in the 1950s.
The Northern Irish government had been bending over backwards to ease the problems that, through the fault of no one, Roman Catholics had in comparison to much of the rest of the population. In one of the least affluent areas, Londonderry, the government had set up a string of manufacturing companies, creating the largest collective of linen manufacturers in Europe.
While things were not perfect, and discrimination from and against all religious denominations did exist, Northern Ireland had been reasonably well off. Output and Gross National Product for the six counties were consistantly twice that of its neighbour, the Republic of Ireland which had more than twice the population and land area. Availability of Public Housing was more generous to Roman Catholics than to other denominations in the Province, and new houses were being built at a rate twice that in the Republic, and higher even than the rest of the UK.
In 1963, pro-Union parties recieved nearly 80% of the total votes.
In 1967 there was founded the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, which was modelled on the National Council for Civil Liberties on the mainland. Although its stated objectives seemed fair, there was a shadow on the organisation from the outset. This didn't deter many people from joining, including many socially conscious Protestants. Indeed, one of the leaders of NICRA was a Protestant woman.
The Cameron Commission, set up to investigate the upsurge in street violence at the end of the decade, had this to say about NICRA:
"... certain at least of those who were prominent in the Association had objects far beyond the 'reformist' character of the majority of the Civil Rights Associaion demands, and undoubtedly regarded the Association as a stalking-horse for achievement of other and more radical and in some cases revolutionary objects, in particular abolition of the border, unification of Ireland outside the United Kingdom and the setting up of an all-Ireland Workers' Socialist Republic."
When the organisation started, much of its time was concerned with the affairs of the gypsy population (now known in Politically Correct terminology as "Travellers"). On the 24th of August 1968, NICRA held a march and demonstration in Dungannon. The police re-routed part of the march in order to avoid trouble from people who considered the march to be politically subversive. NICRA accepted this. Many of the demonstrators were known IRA actives and Republicans. Nevertheless, the demonstration passed off peacefully, marred only by Gerry Fit's verbal attack on the police who were present to protect the demonstrators.
Increasingly the IRA had started moving towards a more political policy - leaving terrorist tactics behind. There were however, a substantial number within the organisation that were hardliners and wished to continue with the violent protests. They had been plotting, along with the government of the Republic (albeit reluctantly), to seize control of Northern Ireland. Brian Lenihan, former Minister for Justice of the Dail, had revealed some of the plans from a document recovered from the IRA in May 1966. Parts of the document revealed the plan to infiltrate various cultural organisations, including the student population. From thence the Peoples' Democracy was formed.
But by December of 1969, the IRA Army Council voted in favour of recognising the Dublin, Westminster and Belfast authorities, by a majority of three to one. This caused a split in the Republican movement, and the more militant Provisional IRA was formed. The following month, a split mirroring that of the IRA, took place with Sinn Féin. Two new organisations were born: the Provisional IRA, as already mentioned, and Provisional Sinn Féin. The original of both groups were to become known as the Official IRA and, eventually, the Workers' Party.
In January 1993, Neil Blaney revealed that the Dublin government had indeed been involved in actively helping the IRA. This help included the setting up and transferring of money to four secret bank accounts, and the training of IRA members by the Army of the Irish Republic.
Publically however, the Irish Republic took a step back from the IRA.
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