Continuity Irish Republican Army

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The Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation (which supporters recognise as the National Army of the 32-County Irish Republic) that split from the Provisional IRA in 1986. The Provisional IRA supported a motion at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis (party conference) to drop the policy of abstentionism and take seats in the Oireachtas, the parliament of the Republic of Ireland.

Opponents of the motion contended that it was unconstitutional and established themselves as a separate body, claiming to a rump continuation of the legitimate IRA and regarding the Provisionals as having left the movement. Some members of the Army Executive reconstituted themselves as the Continuity Executive and then appointed the Continuity Army Council. Amongst those who split the Provisionals was Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, the former President of Provisional Sinn Féin who had headed the Provos during the similar split from the Official IRA in 1970. The CIRA believe that, according to the IRA constitution, they are legitimate, while the PIRA betrayed the cause.

The CIRA claims to be the legitimate continuation of the 'Irish Republican Army' or Óglaigh na hÉireann, or the IRA. However the term is far more commonly used in a contemporary context to refer to the Provisionals' now defunct military body (known as the PIRA). Other self-styled "IRAs" include the Real IRA (RIRA).

Following the Provisional ceasefire in 1994 the Continuity IRA became active. The CIRA announced its intention to continue the campaign against British rule, well before the formation of the "Real IRA". The CIRA continues to oppose the Stormont Agreement and, unlike the Provisional IRA (and the Real IRA in 1998), as of 2006 the CIRA has not announced a ceasefire or agreed to participate in weapons decommissioning - nor is there any evidence that they will. On 13 July 2004, the US government designated the CIRA as an "FTO" ("Foreign Terrorist Organisation") although there was no evidence that they planned to attack the USA [1], thereby making it illegal for Americans to provide material support to it, requiring US financial institutions to block the group's assets, and denying alleged CIRA members visas into the US.

The CIRA claim to be the true inheritors of an Irish Republican tradition that includes the 'Old' Irish Republican Army that fought the 1919-1921 War of Independence, and claims to have attained legitimacy as such from the Executive of the Second Dáil (recognised in this claim by Tom Maguire, the last surviving member of the Second Dáil), as the continuation of the IRA before this. However, these claims are disputed by most Republicans. The following are some of the attacks that the CIRA is believed to have been responsible for:

13 July 1996 Car bomb containing upto 1,200lb of home-made explosives exploded outside Kilyhelvin Hotel, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, causing substantial damage. The blast injured 17 people as they were being evacuated from the hotel.
29 September 1996 Car bomb containing 250lb of home-made explosives was abandoned in Belfast. Security forces used a controlled explosion to make the bomb safe.
21 November 1996 A bomb which failed to explode was found abandoned in Derry.
31 July 1997 A bomb, estimated at between 500 and 1,000lbs, was left at the grounds of Carrybridge Hotel, near Lisballaw, County Fermanagh.
9 August 1997 Planted a hoax van bomb prior on Craigavon Bridge, Derry prior to the start of the start of the Apprentice Boys' parade through the city.
30 October 1997 Claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing of government offices in [[Derry].
20 November 1997 Left a small bomb behind Belfast City Hall
24 January 1998 Car bomb exploded outside an entertainment club, the 'River Club' on Factory Road in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh
20 February 1998 exploded a large car bomb, estimated at 500lbs, outside the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) station in the centre of Moria, County Down.
6 February 2000 Bomb explosion at a hotel in Irvinestown; there were no injuries.
1 November 2000 Booby-trap bomb in Castlewellan, County Down

Recently, several incarcerated members of the Continuity IRA have left the organization for unclear reasons. Supporters of the leadership claim that there was an internal disagreement, however when it was settled some people left the movement anyway. There have been many rumours about the reasons for the prisoners leaving the organization, none of which has been confirmed by both sides. In February 2006, the Independent Monitoring Commission reported that a dissident republican group styling itself Óglaigh na hÉireann had been formed after a split from the CIRA.

Activities: CIRA activities have included numerous bombings, assassinations and kidnappings, as well as extortion and robbery. Targets of the CIRA have included British military and Police service (RUC, etc.), as well as Loyalist terrorists. As of 2004, the CIRA is believed to have an established presence or capability of launching attacks on the island of Britain. A CIRA bomb defused in Dublin in December 2005 was believed by Gardai to have been intended for use against drugs gangs in the city [2]. In February 2006, the Independent Monitoring Commission blamed the CIRA for planting four bombs in Northern Ireland during the final quarter of 2005, as well as several hoax bomb warnings.
Strength: In 2004 the United States (US) government believed the CIRA to consist of fewer than five hundred and fully active members. In 2005, Irish Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform Michael McDowell told Leinster House that the organisation had a maximum of 150 members [3].
External aid and Arsenal: The US government suspected the CIRA of receiving funds and arms from supporters in the United States. It is also believed that, in cooperation with the so-called "Real IRA", the CIRA may have acquired arms and material from the Balkans. The CIRA's arsenal is known to be in the possession of some weapons that were taken from IRA dumps in the past. The CIRA has access to a few dozen rifles, machine guns, and pistols; a small amount of Semtex (commercial high explosive); and a few dozen detonators. Non of these weapons have been decommissoned following the Provisional IRA ending of armed struggle.