Quiz - Northern Ireland & the IRA Flashcards
Why Protestants in Northern Ireland?
Scottish, English immigration
–> English wanted to relocate Scottish Presbyterians from Scotland (subdue Catholic influence and remove irritating Scottish from nearby land)
–> Presbyterians would eventually immigrate to Canada
common American view of IRA
not as a terrorist group; ethnic ties led to sympathy not given to other mal-actors
John McIntyre
addition to Bulger’s gang to ship weapons; 31 years old, marine mechanic, drug smuggler
–> “guy with balls enough to cross the Atlantic”
–> arrested when trying to get into his wife’s home; facing time for former drunk-driving charge, he ratted on Valhalla story
Patrick Nee
IRA sympathizer; lieutenant of Whitey Bulger
–> moved to Boston from County Galway
consociationalism
government decision making must include members of majority and minority parties
Martin Galvin
Noraid publicity director
–> gave speech in April 1984 in Northern Ireland, praising IRA for burning a British private alive
Ulster
Northern Ireland
1921 treaty
created Irish Free State (23 southern counties + 3 counties in Ulster), Northern Ireland (6 counties in Ulster)
–> Northern Ireland to remain part of UK
Unionist view
keep Northern Ireland in the UK
IRA
Irish Republican Army; nationalist force (unite all of Ireland under independent rule)
meaning of Valhalla
Norse mythology; heavenly destination for martyrs of combat
Good Friday Agreement
1998; signed by parties in Northern Ireland, UK, and Ireland
–> approved by referendum in Northern Ireland and Ireland
–> established devolved system of government in Northern Ireland; created cross-border institutions
casualties of the Troubles
more than 3,000 dead in Northern Ireland; roughly equivalent to 500,000 deaths in United States
Battle of the Boyne
1690
William of Orange defeats King James’ forces; conquers Ireland
–> Protestant community celebrates as a holiday today (controversial)
Three Os
Winter Hill Gang’s “favorite pub”
Joe Cahill
founder of Provisional IRA
–> arrested in 1973 in Ireland for carrying weapons for Libyan terrorists
–> joint treasurer of IRA’s political side (Sinn Fein)
–> high rank on “Army Council”
Noraid claims
–> “send money to families of political prisoners”
–> send guns? and not sending all money that was raised?
Valhalla load
about $500,000 - $1.12 million in arsenal
–> 163 assault rifles; 71,000 rounds of ammunition; 1 ton of explosives; 12 bulletproof vests
–> items obtained from other sympathetic cities: 25 machine guns from Philadelphia, 12 shotguns from NY
September 1984
Valhalla: boat used to transport weapons
–> core gang + new members (including John McIntyre)
–> 6 vans transported weapons to dock in Gloucester
–> weapons transferred to Irish boat, which was intercepted off the Irish coast (British mole in IRA)
support for IRA in Boston
IRA murals; “passing the hat” to raise money for families of IRA prisoners
–> “freedom fighters as much as gangsters”
1912
UK government prepared to give all of Ireland home rule; Protestants rejected this
John McIntyre: murder
John Connolly (FBI handler of Bulger) tipped off Bulger that McIntyre had snitched
–> McIntyre lured to Nee’s brother’s house; dragged to basement, chained to a chair and interrogated
–> asked “do you want one in the head?”; said yes
–> teeth extracted; body found 16 years later, in a 5-foot hole in the ground
Michael Flannery
founder of Noraid; arrested 1981 on charges of conspiring to ship arms to IRA (20-mm cannon, 47 machine guns, flamethrower, numerous rifles)
–> claimed CIA had led him to believe he was in an underground operation
Why a separated Ireland?
always an Irish nationalist movement, though at some points more powerful than others
–> political, artistic, literary, social…paramilitary
Edward Carson
leader of Protestants contrary to home rule
–> successful at delaying movement until 1914, when WWI breaks out; reorganizes his illegal Protestant militias (armed by Germany) to help UK’s army, becoming 36th Ulster Division
–> organized hundreds of thousands to sign a covenant against home rule
Noraid
“Northern Aid Committee”; Irish republican charity in US
–> received money from Winter Hill Gang’s bookkeepers
–> convicted in 1981 of violating Foreign Agents Registration Act (not admitting connections to IRA)
“The Troubles”
violent unrest, 1960s-1990s
–> 1968: riots in Londonderry
–> 1969: riots in Londonderry, Belfast
–> British troops called to restore order, failed; Protestant and IRA paramilitary groups organized bombings, terrorist acts
Rep. Mario Biaggi
Congressional representative for the Bronx region where Noraid was headquartered; founder and chairman of Ad Hoc Congressional Committee for Irish Affairs
–> proposed bills to demand British withdrawal as conditions for economic aid to Northern Ireland
–> supposedly educated by Sinn Fein representatives
“The Bucket of Blood”
meeting between Joe Cahill and Whitey Bulger
–> Cahill (snuck into US through Canada after being banned for a 1940s murder in Belfast) urged Bulger for help
–> sent 30 rifles, 25 pistols, 10 blocks of C-4 explosives, 2,500 rounds of ammunition under false floor of a Dodge van
Irish immigration to US
approx. 25% of entire Irish population either immigrated or died during potato famine
–> Liverpool, England (closest point of contact)
–> Boston, Mass. (cheapest fares); settled in “Southie”, similar to North End for Italians or Beacon Hill for Protestants
soft border
ease of movement; unification would occur based on a vote, if ever applicable
–> BREXIT challenged institutions of soft border, economic relationships between Northern Ireland and the Republic
raising money for IRA
–> passing the hat
–> Irish immigrants
–> “skimming”
–> protection, shake-down, endorsement fees
–> drug dealing
–> legal and illegal businesses
contested space
e.g. Northern Ireland
–> selection of sources
–> interpretation
–> intention
–> accuracy
James J. “Whitey” Bulger
leader of “Winter Hill Gang”, murderous gang in Boston’s South End
–> Irish allegiance
–> arrested after years on the run; sentenced to life in 2013, then killed in jail
difference between North and South (1800s)
–> north: rise in standard of living, industry, manufacturing
–> south: unequal distribution of land, resources (Protestants owning most, despite Catholic majority)
Government of Ireland Act
1920: divided Ireland into separate political entities, each with some self-government
–> accepted by Protestants in Ulster; rejected by Catholics in south
Bulger meeting with Crawley
John Crawly: 26 y/o IRA member, had returned to Ireland after fighting in US Marines
–> met in 1983 to hatch the Valhalla plan
