don't disagree with some of your post. But the hate between the dissidents and Sinn Fein is very real. Republican history is punctuated by what is known as the "split". the first coming after the treaty, what became Fine Gael and the IRA resulted in the Irish civil war. The free state executed more volunteers than the British did in the 1919 to 1921 war of independence. the next came in the 1930's when DE Valera formed Fianna Fail and again split Sinn Fein and the IRA.
De Valera probably came closer to actually eradicating the IRA once and for all than any one else, He was ruthless in the late 1930's and 40's . Executions, internments, shoot to kill orders reduced the IRA to a very frail shadow of its former self. Of course his motivation was to deny Churchill the excuse to re occupy Ireland.
the IRA re formed in the 1950's, and waged the failed border campaign.
Again the next split comes as the Provo's split from the officials.
and finally, the dissidents split from the provos after good Friday.
Last edited by tom8517; 04-19-2018 at 07:07 PM.
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