I was a British Soldier on the border at that time and we had great unofficial relations with the Irish army. We had a few good arrests and one take down thanks to info from the Irish army. They had a thank less task but as one Irish Army Officer said to me, " The provos woudl happily over throw the irish government if they could" . They realised the threat from extreme Irish republicans who were marxist . teh IRA and INLA carried out many bank robberies and kidnappings in Eire and most Irish citizens were aware of the threat they posed
It is a fact that IRA did not recognise the southern Irish state (until 1986). They were responsible for bank robberies, kidnappings, the deaths of numerous Irish policemen, one soldier and at least one politician. Armed robbery was unheard of in the republic until the IRA started it in 1970.
The Irish state soldier you spoke to was right, the Provos would've overthrown the 26 county state government, and it was such revolutionary action being so scary to a nationalist but conservative population that enabled 26-county nationalist forces to legitimise Irish soldiers patrolling the British border in Ireland. Fundamentally it was a political difference, but no party in the 26 county state at the time didn't want a united Ireland free of foreign rule, and it's the same today. The majority of the people of Ireland don't want British rule in any part of Ireland - both then and now. The "extreme Republicans" (the Provisionals were not Marxists by the way, they were democratic socialists, and the INLA/IRSP although obviously being harder left on economics didnt announce their 'marxism' til 10 or 15 years in by which time most had left them) were just the ones who held true to some of the fundamental principles of their republican ancestors - that Irish people have the right to full and unfettered Irish destinies, that Irish people have the right to declare in arms their right to Ireland.
An Irish soldiers job on the border was a thankless one, but a necessary one.. Working from often primitive conditions, on oftentimes dangerous work, safeguarding the democratic process that would finally bring the opponents to the negotiating table, after a terrible cost in human lives. British squaddies may have recognised and taken the risk of death and injury as an occupational hazard of security duty in that theatre, but any civilian killed, maimed or psychologically scarred by car bombs, death squads,trigger happy combatants from both sides,gunfight crossfires, etc certainly didnt, and wont feature in the bragging stories. Its just a pity it took so long for reason to prevail, and thats the real cost.
What the heck are you talking about. Clearly you have either not read the history of the Troubles, or if you were alive during it did not follow the events. Government in Nothern Ireland was far from democratic at the beginning of the Civil War in Northern Ireland. Catholics suffered discrimination and were denied their basic human rights and were denied equal representation through Gerrymandering. No way would Northern Ireland be in anyway called a liberal democracy in 1969, and the process of government completely collapsed in the early 1970s after the failure of the Sunngingdale Agreement and direct rule was imposed from London. So, from 1972-2007, until the St Andrews Agreement Northern Ireland had no self-government. Where you get this idea, the British Army was safeguarding the democratic process is completely bemusing. Nothing of the sort was happening. And this idea it took a long a long time for reason to prevail is totally and factually incorrect. Yes, the British government under Thatcher exacerbated the political tensions in Northern Ireland, however, from very early on in the conflict all parties to the conflict had back channels amongst the parties to the conflict. They were all talking to each other and trying to resolve the conflict from its beginning. However, as the politics got away from them, the violence spiraled. This idea they were collectively insane is total and utter garbage. So really shut up.
@RageAgainstTheGame The IRA are the army off the 32 county Irish republic.The Irish army are the army off Saorstat Eireann or the 26 county free state as established by the 1921 Anglo Irish treaty.The IRA preceeded the establishment off the free state army and when in existence consisted off 16 divisions north and south off the border.
@@eugeneoreilly9356 Any debate about the 32 counties versus the 26 is somewhat tedious and out of date. The Republic of Ireland was established with 26 counties - to the disgust of many, who clearly still lament something that happened 100 years ago.
So sad to read the inevitable comments on support of terrorism. I am an Ulster Scot Protestant, my family having lived here for just shy of five hundred years. We are not going anywhere. Get used to it.
It's bad enough you killed my kith and kino, but please stop butchering the English language. Your does not mean you are. You are think of you're. Numbnuts? Really?
@Rowan O'Mullane He's referring to the British, saying the Irish Army was tacitly in league with the IRA & this film for the tv news was a sham performance
A 30 year paramilitary war in Ulster with thousands of casualties, & how many Irish troops were casualties preventing terrorist activity in the Republic - 2. That statistic tells you all you need to know about its connivance with terrorism, despite the acting in this film for the tv cameras.
The Irish army aren't a foreign army in Irish territory. The British government decided to prop up a Sectarian government in a clearly volatile situation, 3 of 9 counties are in the Republic. Completely stupid logic on your behalf. There's well known British army collusion with Sectarian paramilitaries including the Dublin/Monaghan bombings.
@@Horizon344 with the British army. First time in history Irish Catholics begged the British army to intervene with mobs and the police force were burning down their neighborhoods. There's a famous picture of an Irish woman running out to a British soldier with a cup of tea. Unfortunately soon after they feel under the orders of the Sectarian Unionist government, they began turing a blind eye to the UVF and UDA. Escalating the situation into what it became.
I read, unfortunately years ago but it stuck in my mind a British Army assesment of the capabilities of the Irish Army in the case of an invasion of NI: No need to even get involved The UDR in Newtownhamilton had all it needed to defeat them in 2 to 3 hours.
quite funny to see on the one hand ppl making your kind of comment to then others claiming they were all FS traitors and collaborators. Seems much hasn't changed since the Civil War. Add to the SF sitting on police boards, IRA stood down (rather like FARC in Colombia) and you seem to be your own worst enemies
I was a British Soldier on the border at that time and we had great unofficial relations with the Irish army. We had a few good arrests and one take down thanks to info from the Irish army. They had a thank less task but as one Irish Army Officer said to me, " The provos woudl happily over throw the irish government if they could" . They realised the threat from extreme Irish republicans who were marxist . teh IRA and INLA carried out many bank robberies and kidnappings in Eire and most Irish citizens were aware of the threat they posed
It is a fact that IRA did not recognise the southern Irish state (until 1986). They were responsible for bank robberies, kidnappings, the deaths of numerous Irish policemen, one soldier and at least one politician. Armed robbery was unheard of in the republic until the IRA started it in 1970.
The Irish state soldier you spoke to was right, the Provos would've overthrown the 26 county state government, and it was such revolutionary action being so scary to a nationalist but conservative population that enabled 26-county nationalist forces to legitimise Irish soldiers patrolling the British border in Ireland. Fundamentally it was a political difference, but no party in the 26 county state at the time didn't want a united Ireland free of foreign rule, and it's the same today. The majority of the people of Ireland don't want British rule in any part of Ireland - both then and now. The "extreme Republicans" (the Provisionals were not Marxists by the way, they were democratic socialists, and the INLA/IRSP although obviously being harder left on economics didnt announce their 'marxism' til 10 or 15 years in by which time most had left them) were just the ones who held true to some of the fundamental principles of their republican ancestors - that Irish people have the right to full and unfettered Irish destinies, that Irish people have the right to declare in arms their right to Ireland.
@@maitiucibhleachain5139 you put it perfectly, Éirinn go Brách
@@irishguy9311 Any source for State Army men passing on info to Provos? Don't deny it's possible, just wondering if there's evidence
@@maitiucibhleachain5139 Not a shred of evidence, that’s the beauty of the situation…😃👍🏻
An Irish soldiers job on the border was a thankless one, but a necessary one.. Working from often primitive conditions, on oftentimes dangerous work, safeguarding the democratic process that would finally bring the opponents to the negotiating table, after a terrible cost in human lives.
British squaddies may have recognised and taken the risk of death and injury as an occupational hazard of security duty in that theatre, but any civilian killed, maimed or psychologically scarred by car bombs, death squads,trigger happy combatants from both sides,gunfight crossfires, etc certainly didnt, and wont feature in the bragging stories. Its just a pity it took so long for reason to prevail, and thats the real cost.
🙄🙄🙄
Well said!
What the heck are you talking about. Clearly you have either not read the history of the Troubles, or if you were alive during it did not follow the events. Government in Nothern Ireland was far from democratic at the beginning of the Civil War in Northern Ireland. Catholics suffered discrimination and were denied their basic human rights and were denied equal representation through Gerrymandering. No way would Northern Ireland be in anyway called a liberal democracy in 1969, and the process of government completely collapsed in the early 1970s after the failure of the Sunngingdale Agreement and direct rule was imposed from London. So, from 1972-2007, until the St Andrews Agreement Northern Ireland had no self-government. Where you get this idea, the British Army was safeguarding the democratic process is completely bemusing. Nothing of the sort was happening. And this idea it took a long a long time for reason to prevail is totally and factually incorrect. Yes, the British government under Thatcher exacerbated the political tensions in Northern Ireland, however, from very early on in the conflict all parties to the conflict had back channels amongst the parties to the conflict. They were all talking to each other and trying to resolve the conflict from its beginning. However, as the politics got away from them, the violence spiraled. This idea they were collectively insane is total and utter garbage. So really shut up.
It was always important to distinguish between the Army of the Irish Republic and the Irish Republican Army.
It stiil is!!
@RageAgainstTheGame Your terminology is about 100 years out of date. The IRA is illegal - "free staters" went out of fashion in the 1920s.
@RageAgainstTheGame The IRA are the army off the 32 county Irish republic.The Irish army are the army off Saorstat Eireann or the 26 county free state as established by the 1921 Anglo Irish treaty.The IRA preceeded the establishment off the free state army and when in existence consisted off 16 divisions north and south off the border.
Its Peter Graves that's lost then.The terminology is correct.
@@eugeneoreilly9356 Any debate about the 32 counties versus the 26 is somewhat tedious and out of date. The Republic of Ireland was established with 26 counties - to the disgust of many, who clearly still lament something that happened 100 years ago.
Thank you for your servive to Ireland. Well done. True heros.
Frank Thomas irish army would have troulble fighting sleep
@@gailkerr7299 ahh jesus Gail you made me laugh der. 😂😂
Frank Thomas fuck the IRA
@@gailkerr7299 see the below from Adam `I was a British Soldier on the border at that time and we had great unofficial relations with the Irish army.`
Hero's? Lol
Driver of Armoured car not wearing a helmet -serious error of judgement!
We weren't under threat .
@@conlaiarla not about being shot at, more about bouncing your head off the hard steel a couple inches away
unsung heros
there was quite a lot of northerners in the free state army
So sad to read the inevitable comments on support of terrorism.
I am an Ulster Scot Protestant, my family having lived here for just shy of five hundred years.
We are not going anywhere.
Get used to it.
You're the ones who don't want to live with us, Numbnuts
It's bad enough you killed my kith and kino, but please stop butchering the English language.
Your does not mean you are.
You are think of you're.
Numbnuts? Really?
@@geordiewishart1683 English is not my native language fella, sorry for butchering it
there, put in an apostrophe just for you
No one wants you to move. Ulster Sots and other Ethnic Britons will be very welcome in the Unified Irish State.
Yeah...we looked real hard .... we knew who the enemy were .
@Rowan O'Mullane He's referring to the British, saying the Irish Army was tacitly in league with the IRA & this film for the tv news was a sham performance
Ah, yes royal irish regiment british army is your enemy and thr irish defence force obiously one that dreadfull war *strokes manly stubble*
A 30 year paramilitary war in Ulster with thousands of casualties, & how many Irish troops were casualties preventing terrorist activity in the Republic - 2. That statistic tells you all you need to know about its connivance with terrorism, despite the acting in this film for the tv cameras.
Your theory is flawed. Try harder.
The Irish army aren't a foreign army in Irish territory. The British government decided to prop up a Sectarian government in a clearly volatile situation, 3 of 9 counties are in the Republic. Completely stupid logic on your behalf.
There's well known British army collusion with Sectarian paramilitaries including the Dublin/Monaghan bombings.
@@barryb90 "Propped it up" against what?
@@Horizon344 with the British army. First time in history Irish Catholics begged the British army to intervene with mobs and the police force were burning down their neighborhoods. There's a famous picture of an Irish woman running out to a British soldier with a cup of tea. Unfortunately soon after they feel under the orders of the Sectarian Unionist government, they began turing a blind eye to the UVF and UDA. Escalating the situation into what it became.
@@barryb90 Where are you from Barry, & do you really believe what you've just said?
No such place as EIRE
Gom been
Irish Army on patrol in "Ireland!!
I read, unfortunately years ago but it stuck in my mind a British Army assesment of the capabilities of the Irish Army in the case of an invasion of NI: No need to even get involved The UDR in Newtownhamilton had all it needed to defeat them in 2 to 3 hours.
Freestaters Pro British Army
The Irish army couldn't find their way home 🤣
Provos 10 Free State Army 0.
Clown
no bullets,no guns,no money.no sense,wats the fuckin point
irish army in Armagh?..i don't think so as Armagh is NOT in the republic
The distance between Crossmaglen and the Irish/Irish border along the Culiville road is less than a mile. The narrator is correct and right.
@@larrydelamb cullovile is also co armagh and North of the border
He never said they were in Armagh, listen properly and look at a map maybe
shame
Up the raa
daniel kennedy tiocfaidh ár lá
Go fuck yourself
@@danielrooney7964 tiocfaidh ár lá
@@billkeane528 dead language
Up ya Arse
Quislings.
Irish army were basically on the side of the IRA good show anyway.
Ridiculous statement. The only casualties the Irish Army has experienced in defence of the state has been at the hands of the IRA.
@ExXhorter With who?
quite funny to see on the one hand ppl making your kind of comment to then others claiming they were all FS traitors and collaborators. Seems much hasn't changed since the Civil War. Add to the SF sitting on police boards, IRA stood down (rather like FARC in Colombia) and you seem to be your own worst enemies