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The Real Irish Republican Army or Real IRA, also referred to as the New IRA, is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation which aims to bring about a united Ireland. It formed in 1997 following a split in the Provisional IRA, which had declared a ceasefire that year. Like the Provisional IRA before it, the RIRA sees itself as the only rightful successor to the original Irish Republican Army and styles itself as simply "the Irish Republican Army" in English or ''Óglaigh na hÉireann'' in Irish. It is an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland and designated as a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and the United States. Since its formation, the RIRA has waged a campaign in Northern Ireland against the British Army and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The RIRA is the largest and most active of the "dissident republican" paramilitaries operating against the British security forces. It has targeted security forces in gun attacks and bombings, as well as with grenades, mortars and rockets. The organisation has also been responsible for a number of bombings in Northern Ireland and England with the goal of causing economic harm and/or disruption. The most notable of these was the 15 August 1998 Omagh bombing, which killed 29 people. After the bombing, the RIRA went on ceasefire, but began operations again in 2000. In March 2009, it claimed responsibility for an attack on Massereene Barracks that killed two British soldiers, the first to be killed in Northern Ireland since 1997. The Real IRA has also been involved in vigilantism, mainly against alleged drug dealers and organized crime gangs. In Dublin particularly, it has been accused of extorting and engaging in feuds with these gangs. In July 2012, it was reported that Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) and other small republican militant groups were merging with the Real IRA. As before, the group continues to refer to itself as "the Irish Republican Army". ==Origins== In July 1997, the Provisional IRA called a ceasefire. On 10 October 1997, a Provisional IRA General Army Convention was held in Falcarragh, County Donegal. At the convention, Provisional IRA Quartermaster General Michael McKevitt, also a member of the 12-person Provisional IRA Executive, denounced the leadership and called for an end to the group's ceasefire and to its participation in the Northern Ireland peace process. He was backed by his partner and fellow Executive member Bernadette Sands-McKevitt. The pair were outmanoeuvred by the leadership, and a key ally, Kevin McKenna, was voted off the IRA Army Council, leaving the two dissidents isolated. The convention backed the pro-ceasefire line, and on 26 October McKevitt and Sands-McKevitt resigned from the Executive along with other members. In November 1997, McKevitt and other dissidents held a meeting in a farmhouse in Oldcastle, County Meath, and a new organisation, styling itself ''Óglaigh na hÉireann'', was formed.〔Mooney & O'Toole, pp. 38–39.〕 The organisation attracted disaffected Provisional IRA members from Derry and the republican stronghold of South Armagh, as well as other areas including Dublin and Belfast cities and Counties Limerick, Tipperary, Louth, Tyrone, Monaghan, and Kerry.〔〔Mooney & O'Toole, p. 47.〕 The name "Real IRA" entered common usage when members set up a roadblock in Jonesborough, County Armagh and told motorists "We're from the IRA. The ''real'' IRA".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Real Irish Republican Army」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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