Short for IRA, meaning Irish Republican Army; An
Irish paramilitary organisation located in Ireland, primarily in Northern Ireland during the early and late 20th century. The
British and
Irish Unionists in Northern Ireland (mostly protestants) view them as a terrorist group, where as the majority in Ireland, both in the Republic of Ireland and the
Irish in Northern Ireland regard them as freedom fighters. The term is widely used in
Irish catholic areas in Northern Ireland, as well as used throughout the rest of Ireland. It is used out of a familiarity with the organisation.
Two major
Irish paramilitary-rebels used "IRA". The first being for the
Irish revolution in the 1920s, which was mostly successful, but also got Ireland divided.
Then a later organisation during "The Troubles" conflict of the 70-90s in Northern Ireland. This conflict is the more widely known by the modern day brit even though its the less significant of the two conflicts. This conflict came about due to the mass discrimination against the
Irish natives in northern Ireland by unionist protestant colonials, due to Ireland'
s division giving this radical small population a platform to discriminate. Things later spiraled out of control as all wars do, and the IRA split into fractions. The PIRA (Provisional IRA) conducted a mass bombing campaign in England, were as the IRA did not.