[tom8517]

The vast majority of the nationalist population has moved on from violence. The dissidents do have a stronger presence in Derry than elsewhere in the six counties, but still very marginal support.

But conditions in the bogside of today can't be compared to those that existed at the start of the troubles. The IRA did in fact defend the nationalist areas of the north from the Orange mobs and the RUC.

In 1969 the IRA was still controlled out of Dublin, the northern units existed mainly to act as a buffer against the periodic orange pogroms that cropped up form time to time. The last armed action, the border campaign of the late 1950's was mainly a southern affair, with volunteers from the republic making cross border raids on RUC barracks. It was a dismal failure. After the campaign petered out the IRA began a move away from armed resistance towards a more political, mainly Marxist focus.

When the north began to go up in flames and the civil rights movement caused renewed riots by the loyalists who were outraged the taigs were asking to be treated as humans. The IRA was unable or unwilling to respond, this is what led to the provisional/official split. in the early days I Ran Away was painted over walls in the nationalists areas.

The Provisionals were northern based and controlled. As they grew in strength the level of support they received was stronger than anything the IRA had gotten since the 1919 to 1921 war of independence. This support led the provos to move from a defensive posture to an offensive campaign. Eventually the British deployed as many as 21,000 front line combat troops backed by armored vehicles and helicopters, plus the 9,000 strong RUC, the British intelligence services and The SAS.

And yet, this "small gang of criminal terrorists" with marginal public support waged a decades long insurgency against a world power that ended with a negotiated settlement.