Thursday, April 28, 2005

FIVE DAYS IN AN IRA TRAINING CAMP ....... From the moment a new recruit enters the Irish Republican Army he or she undergoes a rigorous and intensive training to assess the individual Volunteer's level of commitment , general ability and particular aptitudes . After the initial recruitment lectures , this period includes training in personal security and anti-interrogation , basic intelligence work , political education - and of course training in the use of weapons . In this supplied article , a Volunteer in the IRA's Belfast Brigade describes his experience of taking part in an IRA training camp . From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 , pages 39 , 40 , 41 , 42, 43 , 44 and 45 .


DAY 4.

As soon as one of the IRA Training Officers has constructed an acoustic 'tunnel' we're ready to start firing ; the 'tunnel' on this occasion consists of a triangular wire frame with narrow wooden supports , placed on top of a large flat rock several feet high , which we'll be using to rest on while shooting .

The wire frame is covered by strips of foam , with our sleeping bags laid over the top . The whole structure is about ten feet long and eighteen inches at its apex . Another method of constructing a firing 'tunnel' is by using a series of car tyres arranged rim to rim . Its practical effect is to muffle the initial percussion of the bullet as its fired , although the 'crack' as it breaks the sound barrier is still audible for some distance .

The firing range itself has been carefully chosen so that the land relief acts as a barrier to sound travel ; the shooting takes place in a hollow , so that the bulk of the sound is caught by the higher land around it and deflected upwards rather than outwards . Despite these precautions there are always two of us positioned in the high ground keeping watch on the approaches .

This is a 'standard camp' for beginners , so unlike the more specialised 'sniper camps' we do most of our shooting at only 25 yards range with a few shots at 100 yards . The object is for the IRA Training Officers to get a rough guide to our standard of heavy calibre shooting , and then to guage our ability more precisely with a series of shots from the .22 bolt action rifle . The results will be used to determine whether we will come back later for sniper training .......

(MORE LATER).



THE ARMALITE AND THE BALLOT BOX ....... " The military struggle will not slow down to relate to Sinn Fein's political activity . "
Michael Farrell interviews two spokespersons authorised to speak on behalf of the leadership of the IRA .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , July 1983 , pages 7, 9 and 11 .


MICHAEL FARRELL : " How long will this take ( to remove the British presence by force) ? "

IRA : " In 1978-9 we projected a long war lasting for 20 years or more . That was partly to prepare our people psychologically as there was a certain amount of war-weariness at the time . We are not so sure that it will take that long now ; if the Republican Movement can capitalise on all the social discontent in the 26 counties and continue its electoral successes it could be a lot shorter . "


MICHAEL FARRELL : " In a previous 'MAGILL' interview the IRA predicted bombing attacks in England . Recently a London Labour councillor who supports British withdrawal argued that such bombings hinder the development of a solidarity movement there . Do you still intend to bomb Britain ? "

IRA : " Our activity in Britain at any given time is dictated by our ability to strike there . It is still a target because we believe one bomb in Britain is worth 50 in Ireland . However , we do not intend to hold the British people responsible for their government's crimes in Ireland ; any attacks will be limited to the British political establishment and to military targets .

And if there is a big growth in anti-war feeling in Britain we would have to revise our attitude ....... "

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STATEMENT RELEASED BY J. McGarrity , IRISH REPUBLICAN PUBLICITY BUREAU , February 1957 ....... From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 6.(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.


Unable to defeat the Freedom Fighters in the field , unable to trap or capture them because of the help and encouragement given to them by the risen people of the North , the English and Six-County governments called on the Dublin Government for assistance ; the Leinster House politicians , ever willing to sacrifice the friends of Ireland at the behest of Ireland's enemies , used 26-County police force and army in an all-out attempt to prevent the men and women of All-Ireland from going to the assistance of our Northern brothers , and enforced the full rigours of coercion to protect the British Occupation Forces and prevent the people of the North from gaining their freedom .

For this they will have to answer at the bar of history ; for this they must account to the Irish people . Every effort is being made by them to involve those who stand by the people of the North in disturbances in the 26-Counties . It is vitally necessary that the people of Ireland should understand that the declared policy of the Republican Movement has not changed .

We have one enemy and one enemy only - the British Occupation Forces in Occupied Ireland . The men and women committed to the resistance movement will not carry out any operation in the 26-County area ; any attempt to link them with raids for arms or explosives or acts of sabotage in the 26-County area can only be viewed as a deliberate attempt at misrepresentation by the professional politicians .......

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