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Provisional Irish Republican Army
One page on my website provides a brief chronology of the Provisional Irish Republican Army from its’ creation in 1969 to the final Peace Agreement in April, 1998.  This is also the time period for the story of Ian Murphy.

The creation of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provos) in Murphy’s Troubles is completely fictional; however, the background is historical.    My source for IRA history is the definitive work by Tim Pat Coogan, The IRA, PALGRAVE, New York 2002.  The Provos were the result of a split in the traditional Irish Republican Army (IRA) by leaders who wanted a direct assault on British rule in Northern Ireland. They implemented a strategy of urban guerrilla warfare.  In 1969 the world hadn’t experienced car bombing and Daithi O’Connell, a Provo leader, is credited with introducing the car bomb as an offensive weapon.  

The Provos didn’t recruit but relied on volunteers to fill their ranks.  Most of the volunteers were working class Catholics.  The volunteers shared the belief that British rule was evil which justified the use of any activity to rid Ireland of the British.  They also shared a historical perspective they their activities honored patriots who had died in the past for the cause. 

One unintended outcome for the Provos is that they were the first identified terrorist organization by the international community.  The roots of terrorist today can be found in Ireland.