A glossary of Terms Related to the Conflict
Official Irish Republican Army
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OOfficial Irish Republican Army (OIRA) synonyms: 'Officials'; 'Stickies' The Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) was the term given to the remnants of the IRA following the split in 1970 when many members left to form the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). The OIRA called a ceasefire in 1972 and has been largely inactive since that date. See: Abstracts of Organisations entry. Official Unionisty Party (OUP) See: Ulster Unionist Party Oireachtas The official name of the parliament and senate of the Republic of Ireland. P. O'Neill All official statements and documents issued by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) carry this signature. Omagh Bomb On 15 August 1998 a bomb explosion in the town of Omagh, County Tyrone killing 29 people and injuring hundred of others. The death toll represented the single worst incident in Northern Ireland since the beginning of the conflict. Responsibility for the attack was later claimed by the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), a dissident Republican organisation which had split from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the wake of PIRA's involvement in the peace process. See: Key Event entry. 'Operation Banner' 'Operation Banner' was the name given by the British Army to its military operation in support of police in Northern Ireland. This military operation lasted from 14 August 1969 to 31 July 2007. From 1 August 2007 the British Army garrison in Northern Ireland is expected to number 5,000. (See announcement on normalisation.) See: Key Event entry. 'Operation Demetrius' / Internment On 9 August 1971 Internment was introduced in Northern Ireland by way of an operation launched by the British Army under the codename 'Operation Demetrius'. See: Key Event entry. 'Operation Motorman' On 31 July 1972 the British Army launched a large military exercise with the codename 'Operation Motorman' which was aimed at dismantling the 'no-go' areas in Belfast and Derry. Orange Adjective used to imply a Unionist bias. 'Orange Card' As in 'to play the Orange Card'. The term was coined by Randolph Churchill during the first Home Rule crisis. It refers to the use, or threatened use, by Unionist politicians of the massed ranks of the Orange Order during any period of crisis for the union. Orange Order synonym: Loyal Orange Institution The largest of the three main Loyal Orders. The Orange Order was founded on 21 September 1795 and currently has between 80,000 to 100,000 members. The order has strong links with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). See: Abstracts of Organisations entry, and Key Issue entry. 'Orangeman' / 'Orangemen' Terms used to describe members of the Loyal Orange Institution better known as the Orange Order. The terms are commonly used by both Unionists and Nationalists. See: Abstracts of Organisations P'Pan-Nationalist Front' / 'Pan Nationalism' The term was widely used by Unionist and Loyalist politicians in the period between the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1986 and the paramilitary ceasefires of 1994. The term described the series of discussions which began to evolve encompassing the authorities in Dublin, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Sinn Féin (SF), and the Catholic Church. Unionists and Loyalists viewed this as an attempt to weaken and then undermine the status of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. Paramilitary, Paramilitaries In Northern Ireland the term refers to groupings of people who adopt forms of military organisation in support of political aims. In Northern Ireland a number of paramilitary groups have operated during the period of 'the Troubles'. Most of the groups have been 'proscribed' or deemed illegal but there were a few which were not proscribed or proscribed only after being in existence for a considerable length of time. See: Guide to paramilitary groups See also: Loyalist Paramilitary Groups; Republican Paramilitary Groups; terrorist 'Parity of Esteem' Since the partition of Ireland in the early 1920s many Catholics in Northern Ireland have claimed that they have not been treated in the same manner as their Protestant neighbours in many spheres of society. Many argued that the authorities had a responsibility to ensure that the two communities received fair and equal treatment. Later the phrase 'parity of esteem' was coined to cover this notion. In more recent years sections of the Protestant community have used the phrase to voice concerns that the Catholic community was receiving preferential treatment. Partition The division of the island of Ireland into two areas, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Partition was brought about by the Government of Ireland act (1920) and the Treaty of Peace (6 December 1921). Of the 32 counties of Ireland, six were partitioned to become Northern Ireland and the other 26 became the Republic of Ireland. 'Peaceline' / 'Peace Wall' Peacelines, or peace walls, are physical barriers between the Protestant / Loyalist community and the Catholic / Nationalist community in certain areas in Northern Ireland. The walls are usually constructed of concrete, stone, and / or steel, and can be over 6 metres tall. There were approximately 35 peacelines in existence by 2001. Of these 26 were in Belfast, mainly in the west and north of the city. Outside of Belfast there were 6 peacelines in Derry, 2 in Portadown, and 1 in Lisburn. By 2007 the number of peacelines had grown to 46 walls or fences and 11 gates (Belfast Telegraph 26 April 2007). The 'official' peacelines grew out of barricades that the local communities erected themselves during periods of intense conflict in 1969 (and in later years). When the British Army was deployed in August 1969 it replaced the existing barricades with barbed-wire barriers of its own. It had been hoped that these would only be needed temporarily. However, the barbed-wire barriers were replaced with more permanent structures and over the years new peace walls have been erected and older ones extended in length and height. The peacelines represent the most visible form of the 'sectarian interfaces' between the two main communities in Northern Ireland. Currently (2007) there is no widespread support for the removal of peace walls, indeed there are demands from certain communities for additional walls. See: Photographs of peacelines. See also: Additional information on peacelines 
'Peace Process' This phrase refers to the period of intense political activity which led first to the paramilitary ceasefires of 1994, and which then produced the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in April 1998. The phrase has also been used to cover developments since 1998 such as the attempts to establish the various political institutions covered by the GFA. See: Key Event entry. Personation / Impersonation During elections in Northern Ireland allegations are frequently made of widespread electoral malpractice with individuals making use of another persons' identity in order to vote illegally. This has become known as 'personation'. A system of voter identity cards was introduced to combat the problem. 'Pipe-Bomb' Improvised (home-made) explosive device that has been used extensively by Loyalist paramilitaries from 1997 to the present. See chronology of 'pipe-bomb' attacks, July 1997 to 13 February 2001. Police Authority for Northern Ireland (PANI) The Police Authority for Northern Ireland (PANI) was established in the early 1970s to manage the budget and organise other general support services for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Like the RUC however it was never widely accepted within the wider Catholic community on the grounds that it lacked real powers to monitor the performance of the police. In the wake of the Good Friday Agreement (1998) an independent international commission was established to recommend reform of the police service in Northern Ireland. One of its recommendations was that the PANI should be replaced with a new body which would have stronger powers. As a result the PANI was dissolved in November 2001 with a new Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) taking its place. 'Political Prisoners' Up until 1976 all prisoners who had been convicted on charges relating to the conflict in Northern Ireland served their sentences under a distinct prison regime known as special category status. The prisoners viewed themselves as 'political prisoners'. The decision by the British government to remove special category status from those sentenced for paramilitary-related crimes after 1 March 1976 gave rise to protests by prisoners and led directly to the Republican hunger strikes of 1980 and 1918. Power-Sharing The arrangement whereby Unionists and Nationalists share the responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland. Usually power is shared on the basis of electoral strength or some other agreed arrangement. There was a short-lived power-sharing Executive which formed part of the devolved government of Northern Ireland during the period 1 January 1974 to 28 May 1974. The experiment collapsed following the Ulster Workers' Council strike. Power-sharing arrangements were also part of the Good Friday Agreement. 'Private Armies' A term often used in the context of Northern Ireland politics to refer to paramilitary organisations. In particular the term is used about those political parties which are associated with paramilitary groups - it is said these parties have the backing of private armies. Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) Loyalist political party which has links to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). David Ervine and Billy Hutchinson are the main spokesmen for the party. See: Abstracts on Organisations entry. Proportional Representation (PR) Proportional Representation (PR) is an electoral system based on Single Transferable Vote (STV) that has been used in Northern Ireland for local government elections, Assembly elections, and European elections (but not Westminster general elections) since 1973. See: Politics, Political Parties and the Electoral System; and See also: Northern Ireland Office (1973) Questions & Answers on Proportional Representation. 'Protection Rackets' One source of funding adopted by paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland has been to threaten businesses and individuals into paying protection money in order to prevent attacks being carried out against them. Such schemes are commonly referred to as 'protection rackets'. Protestant A Protestant is a member of one of the numerous Protestant (including Presbyterian) churches. The three main Protestant churches in Northern Ireland are: Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, and Methodist. The terms Protestant and Unionist are often used interchangeably. While it is true that most Protestants are Unionists there is a small minority who are not. Protestant Action Force (PAF) See: Ulster Volunteer Force Protestant Action Group (PAG) See: Ulster Volunteer Force Protestant Telegraph A weekly newspaper first launched in 1966 by Ian Paisley as a means to publicise his political and religious views. It was published on a regular basis until the early 1980s when it was replaced by another publication, the 'Voice of Ulster'. Towards the end of the 1980s however the Protestant Telegraph again began to be published but on a much more irregular basis. 'Provos' See: Irish Republican Army 'The Province' 'The Province' is a term frequently used, mostly by Unionists, to describe Northern Ireland, however the term is not accurate. Its use relates to the fact that the six counties that make up the region were (and remain) part of the nine county province of Ulster. Three of the counties of the historical province of Ulster were excluded from Northern Ireland when the new region was established and they are part of the Republic of Ireland. Some Nationalists take exception to the use of the term 'the Province' when referring to Northern Ireland. Historically, the provinces of Ireland were Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connacht. See also: Northern Ireland, 'North of Ireland', 'Six Counties', 'Ulster' Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) See: Irish Republican Army Proximity Talks Due to the deep seated political and religious differences in Northern Ireland it often proved difficult to organise direct negotiations between opposing factions. In particular Unionist politicians and Unionist or Loyalist groups have refused to meet face-to-face with anyone associated with Sinn Féin or any Republican who served a prison sentence for a paramilitary offence. In attempt to get around use has been made of 'proximity talks' whereby views are exchanged by way of a third party without either side meeting directly. A good example of this in practice was the efforts to mediate a solution to the problem of contentious parades. 'Punishment' Attacks The term 'punishment' attacks covers shootings or beatings carried out by paramilitary groups on individuals they accuse of being involved in activities that are classified as 'anti-social behaviour' such as drug dealing, theft, and joyriding. Directory: academic academic -> Annual InStructional unit plan academic -> Annual InStructional unit plan academic -> Unit: Automotive and Auto Body academic -> The Devil in the Deep Blue Sea academic -> Hurricanes and Global Warming An Alternative Point of View by academic -> Davis case study paper: to nourish or not to nourish our florida beaches? academic -> 1Compiled by John Dunne-Brady academic -> Table of Contents Economic Policy Causes and Consequences of the Subprime Crisis Brendan Dowling 11 academic -> United states history and geography academic -> Annotated Bibliography Grades 1-41 Download 299.07 Kb. Share with your friends:
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