Thursday, 28 July 2005

IRA gives up armed struggle

Hopefully, with this statement more than 30 years of low intensity conflict which saw the deaths of more than 3,500 people all told will be brought to a close. Civilians, royalists, republicans, military and members of the security forces.

Having grown up in a time when the mention of the IRA would strike fear into the hearts of people the end seems like a cop out. This was the organisation that introduced knee capping with a drill to the world. Being a Roman Catholic, I remember being horrified to learn the IRA was born of the Roman Catholic community when I was in Secondary School. What the IRA did flew in the face of everything I had faithfully absorbed about the Church. How could people who professed the same faith as I did turn around and gun down innocents? Like all children and teens, I was an idealist. It was disheartening and left me terribly disillusioned. Just one of the many bitter lessons of the realities (and general wackjobness) of life to come.

Here's hoping this one will finally stick.

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