How will history judge the Provos?

[diy01]

How will history judge the Provisional Irish Republican Army? An organisation of mostly gallant Irishmen and Irishwomen who rose up to fight oppression and the Unionist regime while trying their best to avoid civilian casualties? A motley crew made up of traditional republicans and young, catholic nationalists trying to defend their streets from loyalist mobs and RUC provocation? A terrorist cabal largely made up of poorly educated, sectarian country boys and working class types which will be remembered for Kingsmill, La Mon, Birmingham and Enniskillen? A mix?

All things considered, did the IRA improve the lives of nationalists in the North?

Is it too early to even consider the legacy of the Provos?

[bobbysands81]

A true people's movement, consisting of local heroes, which was unbowed and undefeated.

[TradCat]

A consequence of the Irish republican tradition of armed struggle and intransigent unionism they ultimately showed both to be historical dead-ends as ways of addressing the northern problem.

[JollyRedGiant]

Like all history - it depends on who is writing it (as demonstrated by the above comments)

[Pat Mc Larnon]

Like all history - it depends on who is writing it.

Agree with that.

[Risteard]

unbowed and undefeated.

Despite surrendering unilaterally?

[Partizan]

Less said the better.

[topcat4]

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Is it too early to even consider the legacy of the Provos?

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The legacy of the provos, the group that claimed a draw but were really beaten hands down. A legacy of fuel smuggling and Manchester property deals, A legacy of how much money can we lay our hands on and keep for ourselves. Grow up, history will not be kind to the provos it will see them for what they were!!!!!!

[jdaly]

Mostly decent people, mostly courageous people but with a sprinkling of gangsters who used the war to get rich and with a leadership who told them they were fighting for one thing while they themselves were negotiating another thing altogether.
Sadly, the legacy left in some areas is that the gangster element took control as most of the decent people walked away. Sth Armagh is now a gangster paradise where men never known to have worked a single day are living in mansions and expecting respect from their neighbours. There are at least two histories of the Provisionals to be written one on those decent people and one on the gangsters. perhaps another one on those who were working for the Brits all along.

[turdsl]

Mostly decent people, mostly courageous people but with a sprinkling of gangsters who used the war to get rich and with a leadership who told them they were fighting for one thing while they themselves were negotiating another thing altogether.
Sadly, the legacy left in some areas is that the gangster element took control as most of the decent people walked away. Sth Armagh is now a gangster paradise where men never known to have worked a single day are living in mansions and expecting respect from their neighbours. There are at least two histories of the Provisionals to be written one on those decent people and one on the gangsters. perhaps another one on those who were working for the Brits all along.

Yes I agree,but all sides in a war try and sweep their dirty side under the carpet, including the two sides in the civil war here.