Major IRA attack on the USA?

based off this:


10 years after IRA terrorists flew laden airliners into the UN building, the White house, the Sears building and a cow pasture in Alabama Coalition troops still patrol the Irish Republic

given their 1980s-90s links to Libya is it all that out their they might try something against the US? not anything so big at that, but what would happen if an IRA attack happened in the USA some time between the late 1980s and 2000?
 

Cook

Banned
A large source of the Provisional IRA’s financing has always come from donations from America and their hopes of political victory were based of someday gaining diplomatic support from the United States. Any form of attack in the continental United States, even small scale and aimed at a purely British target such as the embassy in Washington or a British Airways office in New York, would derail both the financial gravy train and any political support.
 
I understand their links to the US, but how much of an attack would be needed to really risk their South Boston money train? and would they risk it for more Libyan aid?
 

Pangur

Donor
I understand their links to the US, but how much of an attack would be needed to really risk their South Boston money train? and would they risk it for more Libyan aid?

The answers to this are simple. No attack would be small enough not to risk the financial and other support in the US and as for Libya - no amount of aid would get the IRA to risk the US link
 
Also: Boston has Irish people. Libya doesn't. Or at least, Libya doesn't have nearly as many as Boston does.
 
Agree with the others that there is no chance of this. A Loyalist attack on Republican sympathisers, such as a Noraid office etc. could be a different matter.
 
Agree with the others that there is no chance of this. A Loyalist attack on Republican sympathisers, such as a Noraid office etc. could be a different matter.

the Loyalists never got much passed the gang level, though..... I'm thinking of a much harder UK, Powell Tories in the 70s leading to a hard cooling in UK-US relations human rights questions in Northern Ireland, the US cares a lot less about NORAID and the Brits sent Loyalists bombers with MI6 blessings to Boston and New York to kill Peter King and others..... just my drug fueled mind running with it.
 
My big fat question is: why?

The IRA knows it won't get active support from (the government anyway) of the USA, so apathy or simply being ignored is the best course of action they could hope for, this would terminate that status permanently.

At least the Al-Qaeda folks genuinely had their own (completely psychotic, but justified in their extreme ideology) reasons for attacking the USA and actively viewed it as an enemy. The USA was for the most part, until the very, very end, quite happy to let Ireland's problems be Ireland's (and often Britain's) to handle and not theirs.

Again I'm not saying many terrorist attacks are that logical to begin with but such an act would almost have to be villainy for the sake of villainy (i.e. we picked country names out of a hat and got USA).
 
My big fat question is: why?

The IRA knows it won't get active support from (the government anyway) of the USA, so apathy or simply being ignored is the best course of action they could hope for, this would terminate that status permanently.

At least the Al-Qaeda folks genuinely had their own (completely psychotic, but justified in their extreme ideology) reasons for attacking the USA and actively viewed it as an enemy. The USA was for the most part, until the very, very end, quite happy to let Ireland's problems be Ireland's (and often Britain's) to handle and not theirs.

Again I'm not saying many terrorist attacks are that logical to begin with but such an act would almost have to be villainy for the sake of villainy (i.e. we picked country names out of a hat and got USA).

lets say close Reagan Thatcher links leads to the CIA helping the Brits bust a number of IRA big wigs buying arms from whoever, or the passing of anti-terror money laws hit Irish money from the US.

here's a thought, what if a loony tries to kill Reagan "for the Irish Republic" as a member of the IRA, clearly the IRA will say they have nothing to do with it, but that said that about about half the things they did.
 
If not an attack, how about something like an arms deal gone bad? Just off the top of my head:

An Irish-American soldier somehow gets it into his head that no one will notice if a couple of mortars go missing. He offers to sell these to the IRA through contacts in Boston. The IRA leadership realizes that a connection like this could be valuable in the future, and orders a small group to go buy the weapons. The terrorists fly into Canada on forged UK passports, and slip over the poorly-guarded border. As insanely risky as it is, they agree to meet their contact on his army base. He promises that he can get them through security as his personal guests. The IRA is extremely worried, but decide to take the chance. They know that their contact would never be able to smuggle out the equipment on his own, and they hope a small group, working quickly, will have a better chance.

Worried about the risk they are taking, the IRA members order their Boston contacts to loan them weapons. Two of the men receive FN High-Power 9mm pistols. The last man, the group leader, is given a Czech Skorpion machine pistol. Finally, on the appointed day, they all load into the American's truck, and head to the base. At the gate, the guard is an old friend of the soldier, as he knew hw would be. The soldier explains that he has friends visiting from "the old country", and he just wants to show them around. The guard waves the truck through the checkpoint.

The soldier parks his truck behind on of the weapons storage buildings on the edge of the camp, where they hope it will be out of sight. The American has the key, and unlocks the door as quitely as possible. The four men begin loading the truck. Suddenly, a walking patrol member spots them. He comes over to investigate, and before the American can try to explain, he draws his weapon. An IRA member, unseen in the interior of the building, shoots him dead. The sound of a gunshot echoes through the night air, and they all know the game is up.

The truck speeds toward the checkpoint, desperately trying to flee the camp. It is clear that they do not intend to stop. US soldiers open fire on the truck, and automatic fire answers from the interior of the truck. Within a minute, the firefight is over. All three terrorists, and their American accomplice, are dead. So too are three US soldiers, with another injured. The IRA has apparently attacked US soldiers, on US soil, during an attempt to steal arms. Even more worrying to many is the idea that "Irish sympathizers" have infiltrated the armed forces, and are willing to sell out their nation. US public opinion towards Ireland hardens overnight...

So, what do you guys think? Hopefully a bit more plausible than an outright bombing attack, anyway.
 
If not an attack, how about something like an arms deal gone bad? Just off the top of my head:

An Irish-American soldier somehow gets it into his head that no one will notice if a couple of mortars go missing. He offers to sell these to the IRA through contacts in Boston.

As my better friend said, and he was in the French Army on occupation duty in southern Germany in 1981. Everything that can be transported by a man alone from an US base in Germany was available on the black market.

If you want to buy a M16 or even a LAW, it was possible without any problems.

In the French army, they were even counting the 5.56 rounds left after an real fire exercice...
 

Sachyriel

Banned
Can we have a farther back POD where the IRA is a whacko communist group and then it makes more sense for them to attack the USA cause it supports the British?
 

Hyperion

Banned
I understand their links to the US, but how much of an attack would be needed to really risk their South Boston money train? and would they risk it for more Libyan aid?

Any attack period that does any damage or causes actual deaths will pretty much screw the IRA out of American support. As this would be for the time the first significant attack on US soil since Pearl Harbor, the fallout on the IRA would be bad even from a small attack.

How you would think otherwise....?:confused:
 
Why would they kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?

Maybe if they assassinated a Protestant who talked a lot of trash about Catholics AND was a big supporter of Unionists, they might not lose the sympathies of those people in Boston who send them money?
 
I guess the Irish Catholics of Boston are like the Japanese, Germans, Italians, and Muslims in having no loyalty to the USA.
 
I guess the Irish Catholics of Boston are like the Japanese, Germans, Italians, and Muslims in having no loyalty to the USA.

Hee hee.

Firstly, I don't think most Irish Catholics of Boston are sending money to the IRA. I imagine it's only the most extreme ones.

Furthermore, my point is that an attack on U.S. soil might not inevitably lead to all loss of domestic U.S. support for the IRA.

What if the IRA assassinated Fred Phelps? Would all those idealize the IRA as freedom fighters suddenly turn on them as murderers?
 
black angel's idea seems the way to go, the US draws closer to the UK and decides to really get involved and crack down on domestic funders of terrorism. Some high profile IRA backers in the US get put on trial for their crimes.
One of the crazier factions of the IRA decides they need to send a message not to mess with them and launches some attacks on the US. They're careful to only target federal property, maybe kill one of the leading spokespeople for the American anti-IRA movement. Nonetheless the US is pissed....
 
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