The Other History of the Troubles.

Recently been doing some research on the origins of the Northern Ireland Troubles. An intresting though frankly disheartening look at how decades of indoctrined prejudice and bigotry can lead to a lot of nastiness.
Anyway whilst looking up old documents I found information on the fabled, Irish invasion of Ulster...
EXERCISE ARMAGEDDON!
Though I simply think of it as Our Sea Mammal ;)

So at the risk of starting a riot, this thread is about whether or not this hair-brained scheme could really work.

Keep a reasonable POD please.
 
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Easy. The Cuban Missile Crisis escalates into a full-scale nuclear war, in which all of the British Isles get obliterated.

Below ground in a nuclear bunker in what was once Dublin, four Irish soldiers survive. When they eventually get out, they walk north to the charred remains of what was once Belfast and plant a tricolour.

Succesful invasion.
 

Cook

Banned
Assuming they actually wanted to incorporate a large, hostile minority in their country; with the very small size of the Irish Army, what would they be invading with?
 
Easy. The Cuban Missile Crisis escalates into a full-scale nuclear war, in which all of the British Isles get obliterated.

Below ground in a nuclear bunker in what was once Dublin, four Irish soldiers survive. When they eventually get out, they walk north to the charred remains of what was once Belfast and plant a tricolour.

Succesful invasion.

Fletcher, I don't usually say this but... Fail. Just fail.


Assuming they actually wanted to incorporate a large, hostile minority in their country; with the very small size of the Irish Army, what would they be invading with?

Well they do want it, regardless of hostility.
I thought that would be brought up. And I can't be bothered explaining it right now.

Considering it's lack of intrest and the fact that I'll have to explain so much, I regret starting this thread.
 
Members of various governments restricted themselves to gun running and floated the ideas mentioned here and there though the idea never enjoyed much support. Charles Haughey's name is usually associated with this idea at the time. However he and his supporters never took it further than an idea because they knew it was a fucked up mess from the get go. Their schemes, or flights of fancy were in the same mold as say War Plan Red or Defence Scheme No.1 in that it had enough steam to start thinking about it, but soon turned out to be a flight of fancy because of the situation and reality on the ground.

Quite simply by the start of the troubles, nobody wanted NI.
 
IIRC back when the subject of sending troops to Ulster first arose, [60's???]there was also a proposal to just withdraw, and let Ulster sink or swim on it's own.
If Britian did pull out, I can see a Ulterman-Eire war. With Eire invading Ulster.
 
Right here's the problems I can see.

1) The size of the Irish army.
2) British have first dibs to intervene.

And here's some solutions.

1) The army does not get short-changed after WW2, this could give the army a few thousand more men along with better equipment.
2) Much like in a WW2 AH, Wilson gets a lecture on dangers of campaigning in Ireland. Sending troops en masse may coax the IRA into fighting, and this will lead to the UVF responding. More violence, more death, looks bad.
 

cumbria

Banned
Recently been doing some research on the origins of the Northern Ireland Troubles. An intresting though frankly disheartening look at how decades of indoctrined prejudice and bigotry can lead to a lot of nastiness.
Anyway whilst looking up old documents I found information on the fabled, Irish invasion of Ulster...
EXERCISE ARMAGEDDON!
Though I simply think of it as Our Sea Mammal ;)

So at the risk of starting a riot, this thread is about whether or not this hair-brained scheme could really work.

Keep a reasonable POD please.

Would make an interesting thread of its own the Irish invasion of Ulster.
 
Speaking as a disinterested third party, I have to ask: Wouldn't the biggest problem be, whether for the Irish Army or British Army, to keep "their" side (Catholic or Protestant, respectively) from seeking historic payback? Or is this being too simple/naive for words?
 
Speaking as a disinterested third party, I have to ask: Wouldn't the biggest problem be, whether for the Irish Army or British Army, to keep "their" side (Catholic or Protestant, respectively) from seeking historic payback? Or is this being too simple/naive for words?

Oh yes that's definately the biggest problem. It was infact the main reason why British troops were moved in in the first place, to protect the community (specifically Catholics) from the violence.

However as history records, the British army could to little to stop the paramilitaries save locking up suspects. I highly doubt that Irish army will have a better track record, even if they can persuade the majority of the IRA to join them.
 
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