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| - The Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was formed in March 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, when the IRA was re-organised by its leadership in Dublin into Divisions and Joe McKelvey was appointed commander of the Third Northern Division, responsible for Belfast and the surrounding area. There were three battalions within the Brigade, the 1st in West Belfast, the 2nd in North Belfast and the Third in East Belfast. Most of the Brigade's attacks on Crown forces were carried out by an Active Service Unit within the 1st battalion, led by Roger McCorley. McCorley and Seamus Woods were leaders of a very active IRA Active Service Unit in Belfast (consisted of 32 men) which targeted the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) - Auxiliaries and Black and Tans. The Brigade was strengthened during the period between the end of hostilities between the IRA and British forces in July 1921 and the outbreak of the Irish Civil War in June 1922. During this time, Michael Collins, head of the new Irish Free State sent arms and money to the IRA in Belfast in an effort to de-stabilise the newly created Northern Ireland. By May 1922, the IRA in Belfast possessed over 600 rifles. They carried out many attacks on British and Northern Ireland forces during this period. In addition, they were often faced with the task of trying to defend Catholic areas of Belfast from attack by Ulster loyalist and state forces. As well as defence, though, the Brigade was also guilty of sectarian attacks, including assassinations of Protestants and the bombing of trams taking Protestant workers to workplaces that had expelled Catholics (see Belfast Pogrom). In May 1922, the IRA in Belfast assassinated Ulster Unionist Party MP William Twaddell. In response, the next day, the UUP government of Northern Ireland interned over 200 Irish republicans in Belfast and 350 throughout Northern Ireland. Over 750 IRA men were interned by 1923 (see HMS Argenta). This was a damaging blow to the Belfast Brigade, but more damaging still was the outbreak of the Irish Civil War on 28 June. This meant that the IRA in the south of Ireland was now split into warring factions. In addition, the aid which the Free State government had given to the northern IRA was cut off after the death of Michael Collins in August 1922. Belfast Brigade leader Roger McCorley stated: "When Collins was killed the northern element [of the IRA] gave up all hope." On top of this, Joe McKelvey, the leader of the IRA in Belfast, left the city to side with the Anti-Treaty IRA in the civil war. He was captured and subsequently executed by the Free State. Most of the other IRA leaders in Belfast supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty, as they had been persuaded that it would ultimately result in a united, independent Ireland. In addition over 1,000 IRA men in Belfast had to flee Northern Ireland to escape the repression there and around 500 of them were recruited into the pro-treaty National Army during the civil war. As a result of these factors, the IRA in wartime Belfast lacked the will and resources to mount a renewed armed campaign. Remarkably, however, the Brigade developed a "Protestant squad", an intelligence unit, largely recruited by John Graham, a Church of Ireland devout, from Denis Ireland's Ulster Union Club. While Graham and others in the Belfast command continued to debate the merits of a new northern campaign, in April 1942 a diversionary action, drew the RUC into a gun battle in Cawnpore Street. A police constable, father of four Thomas James Forbes, was killed, in consequence of which six of the eight members of the active unit were sentenced to hang. In the event all but one were reprieved. On 2 September 1942 Tom Williams, nineteen, was hanged the first, and only, Irish Republican to be judicially executed in the North. In the IRA Border Campaign of the 1950s, there were no actions in Belfast. It took the formation of the Provisional IRA and its Belfast Brigade in 1969 before republicans were again in a position to carry out attacks in Northern Ireland's capital city. The Official IRA also had a Belfast brigade which was commanded by Republican Billy McMillen, just like the Provisionals it carried a guerrilla campaign against the British forces in Ireland but they called a ceasefire in May 1972, but still carried out a handful of attack in 1973, 1974 & 1975, and they also became involved in a feud with the Provisionals, 11 people were killed in the feud & many more injured, the vast majority of attacks by both sides happened in Belfast. The IRA of the 1920s in Belfast is the subject of the song Belfast Brigade. (en)
- La Brigade de Belfast est une brigade de l'Armée républicaine irlandaise (IRA), créée en mars 1921 durant la guerre d'indépendance irlandaise quand les dirigeants dublinois de l'IRA réorganisent celle-ci en divisions. (en) prend ainsi le commandement de la « troisième division du nord » incluant Belfast et ses environs. Il y a trois bataillons au sein de la brigade, le premier à West Belfast, le deuxième à North Belfast et le troisième à East Belfast. La plupart des attaques de la brigade contre les forces britanniques ont été menées par une active service unit au sein du 1er bataillon, dirigée par (en). La brigade est renforcée entre la fin des hostilités (entre l’IRA et les forces britanniques) en juillet 1921 et le déclenchement de la guerre civile irlandaise en juin 1922. Pendant ce temps, Michael Collins, chef du nouvel État libre irlandais, envoie des armes et de l'argent à l'IRA à Belfast dans le but de déstabiliser la nouvelle Irlande du Nord. En mai 1922, l'IRA de Belfast possède plus de 600 fusils. Ils mènent de nombreuses attaques contre les forces britanniques et nord-irlandaises au cours de cette période. En outre, ils sont souvent confrontés à la tâche de défendre les zones catholiques de Belfast contre les attaques des forces loyalistes et étatiques de l’Ulster. En plus de la défense, la brigade commet également des attaques sectaires, notamment des assassinats de protestants et le bombardement de tramways conduisant des travailleurs protestants vers des lieux de travail ayant expulsé des catholiques. En mai 1922, l'IRA de Belfast assassine le député du parti unioniste d'Ulster, (en). En réaction, le lendemain, le gouvernement de l'UUP d'Irlande du Nord interne plus de 200 républicains irlandais à Belfast et 350 en Irlande du Nord. Plus de 750 hommes de l'IRA sont internés en 1923. Ce fut un coup dur pour la brigade de Belfast. Mais le 28 juin, la guerre civile irlandaise fait encore plus grave ; l'IRA est maintenant divisée en factions belligérantes dans le sud de l'Irlande. En outre, l’aide accordée par le gouvernement de l’État libre à l’IRA du nord est supprimée après la mort de Michael Collins en août 1922. De plus, Joe McKelvey, le chef local de l'IRA, quitte Belfast pour se ranger auprès des membres anti-traité de l'IRA dans cette guerre civile. Il est capturé puis exécuté par l'État libre. La plupart des autres dirigeants de l'IRA à Belfast ont soutenu le traité anglo-irlandais, persuadés que cela aboutirait à une Irlande unie et indépendante. En outre, plus de 1 000 membres de l'IRA à Belfast fuient l'Irlande du Nord pour échapper à la répression et environ 500 d'entre eux sont recrutés dans l'armée nationale favorable aux traités pendant la guerre civile. En raison de ces facteurs, l'IRA de Belfast est pratiquement détruite pendant cette période et n'est pas en mesure de menacer la domination britannique en Irlande du Nord pendant de nombreuses années. L'organisation effectue des tirs à Belfast dans les années 1940, pour lesquels un certain nombre de leurs membres sont pendus. À la fin des années 1950, lors de la campagne des frontières aucune action n'est faite par l'IRA dans Belfast. Il a fallu la formation de l'Armée républicaine irlandaise provisoire (IRA provisoire) et de sa (en) en 1969 avant que les républicains ne soient à nouveau en mesure de mener des attaques dans la capitale de l'Irlande du Nord.
* Portail de l’Irlande du Nord
* Portail de l’histoire militaire (fr)
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