Irish Republican Army

Irish Republican Army is the name used by several armed Irish republican organizations, most notably the force that fought British rule during the Irish War of Independence and later organizations pursuing a united Ireland.

Irish Volunteers: An Irish nationalist paramilitary organization founded in 1913 to secure Irish self-government. The IRA grew from the Irish Volunteers, whose members split over participation in the 1916 Rising.
Guerrilla warfare: Irregular warfare in which smaller forces use mobility, ambushes, and local support against stronger opponents. The IRA relied on guerrilla methods against British forces during the independence war.
Official IRA: An Irish republican organization formed in 1969 that declared a ceasefire in 1972 and later moved toward politics. Its political direction and ceasefire distinguished it from the Provisional IRA.
Partition of Ireland: The division of Ireland into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State, implemented in 1921–1922. Partition left the IRA’s goal of a united Ireland unresolved.
Éamon de Valera: An Irish revolutionary and politician who became president of Dáil Éireann and later head of government and president of Ireland. De Valera’s political career grew from the revolutionary movement and its divisions.
Easter Rising: An armed insurrection in Dublin in April 1916 that sought to end British rule in Ireland. The Rising’s aftermath helped turn support toward the IRA’s later independence campaign.
Flying column: A mobile guerrilla unit that moves between locations to conduct attacks and evade pursuit. Flying columns were among the IRA’s mobile units in the War of Independence.
Provisional IRA: An Irish republican paramilitary organization formed in 1969 that pursued a united Ireland through armed struggle. It became the largest IRA faction during the Troubles and rejected the Official IRA’s course.
Irish Free State: The self-governing state established in 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, later becoming Ireland. The independence-era IRA campaign helped bring this state into being.
Tom Barry: An Irish Republican Army commander who led the West Cork Brigade during the War of Independence. Barry became known for directing guerrilla operations in West Cork.

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