Tag Archives: northern ireland

Ireland’s Wars: The Border Campaign Continues

Posted on Dec 27, 2022 by NFB

The Brookborough raid had been a decidedly mixed bag for the IRA: from an operational standpoint it had been a total disaster, but it had somehow managed to give the IRA a major propaganda coup in mass attendance funerals and … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Ireland, Ireland's Wars, War | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ireland’s Wars: Sean South And The Brookborough Barracks Attack

Posted on Dec 20, 2022 by NFB

The Border Campaign had gotten off to a spectacular start. The IRA had hit numerous targets, made their opponents look ineffective, and even inflicted casualties while taking none of their own. Now, as 1957 began, the IRA was intent on … Continue reading →

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Ireland’s Wars: The Border Campaign

Posted on Dec 13, 2022 by NFB

In the latter weeks of 1956, buoyed by years of preparation beforehand and pushed by the activities of other groups, the IRA commenced with one of its most ambitious military operations since the Irish revolutionary period came to a close. … Continue reading →

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Ireland’s Wars: Saor Uladh

Posted on Dec 6, 2022 by NFB

If there is one repeating trait down the entire history of Irish militant republicanism, it is the tendency for the movement to factionalise. The bigger organisations, not least the Irish Republican Army, have always tended to have within their number … Continue reading →

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Ireland’s Wars: The 1950’s Arms Raids

Posted on Nov 29, 2022 by NFB

The IRA was back on the up, even if it was only in a relative sense. New leadership was taking pro-active steps to increase membership, morale and the organisations relevance, both in terms of military matters and in the political … Continue reading →

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Ireland’s Wars: The IRA After The Second World War

Posted on Nov 22, 2022 by NFB

If the immediate time period after the end of the Second World War was a difficult era for Ireland in general, then it is fair to say that is was an extremely difficult era for the Irish Republican Army. World … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Ireland, Ireland's Wars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ireland’s Wars: The IRA “Northern Campaign”

Posted on Aug 30, 2022 by NFB

It is fair to say that, by 1942 anyway, the IRA were running out of road in Ireland. The organisation was shattered, losing Volunteers, officers and leaders at a frightful rate, whether it was by arrest and detention, or just … Continue reading →

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Ireland’s Wars: The Belfast Blitz

Posted on Jul 19, 2022 by NFB

Even before the invention of air planes, the idea of utilising aircraft in a military context had been the focus of theorists and fiction writers alike, many of whom would spend the time before 1905 and the time after prophesising … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Ireland, Ireland's Wars, Uncategorized, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ireland’s Wars: Plan W

Posted on Jun 14, 2022 by NFB

We round of this trilogy of entries on the theoretical aspects of Ireland’s involvement in the Second World War with a look at that which both the British and Irish leadership came up with in the same period as Plan … Continue reading →

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Ireland’s Wars: Plan Kathleen And Operation Mainau

Posted on May 31, 2022 by NFB

My commentary on the IRA’s activities in the early stages of the Second World War have tended to be critical. The S-Plan was a resounding failure in its stated aims, and the Christmas Raid ended up undercutting its short-term success … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Ireland, Ireland's Wars, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments