'Kilburn Battalion' of the Provisional IRA?

MakeEmLaugh

In 1971, a bomb exploded in the Post Office Tower in London. Police received a phone call, claiming that the "Kilburn battalion of the IRA" was responsible.

Kilburn, as many people know, has one of the highest levels of Irish-born people in London. In 2002, 13% of the population there had been born in Ireland, with even more of Irish-descent. This is years after many Irish emigrants had died or moved out of the area, so it would have been might higher in the early 1970s.

I was wondering if people know any more about this so-called 'Kilburn Battalion'? Did it actually exist? Was it comprised of Irish-born people? If so, from Northern Ireland or the Republic?

I do know that debates in the House of Lords following the incident. Lord Clifford of Chudleigh seemed to suggest moving the Irish people in Great Britain - of which there were hundreds of thousands - over to Northern Ireland, and moving Ulster Unionists across the Irish Sea to Great Britain.

"Perhaps we could do a sort of "General Amin" in reverse and devote the £500 million that we are now spending there [Northern Ireland] in a year to rehousing, those who, for example, did not want to live in a United Ireland. By exporting back to the Republic the Kilburn battalion and those who do not want to owe allegiance to this country we could, I am sure, find accommodation and jobs and subsidise them for this purpose. Then we could let Ireland be what the majority have said they always wanted it to be - foreign, with no dependence upon us at all."

FTA69

There was an "England Department" which was tasked with carrying out operations in England, this department was largely staffed by Irish-born Volunteers. There was no brigade specifically based in any English area, rather a collection of units which came under the auspisces of the Department. Most of the actual hands-on Volunteers would have been trained in Ireland and sent over with the specific purpose of operating in England, often these took the form of sleeper cells which would be activated when the time came. Many of these came from the south (so they wouldn't have been on the British radar) and would have been kept away from mainstream IRA activities in order to stay as clandestine as possible. There were a few London-Irish who participated in the England Department, one of whom, Diarmuid O'Neill, was killed by the Met in the late 1990s.

The term "Kilburn Brigade" was probably a tongue-in-cheek perjorative term aimed at the Irish community in general whom many Tories viewed as a Fifth Column at the time of the IRA campaign.

MakeEmLaugh

FTA69 wrote: »

There was an "England Department" which was tasked with carrying out operations in England, this department was largely staffed by Irish-born Volunteers. There was no brigade specifically based in any English area, rather a collection of units which came under the auspisces of the Department. Most of the actual hands-on Volunteers would have been trained in Ireland and sent over with the specific purpose of operating in England, often these took the form of sleeper cells which would be activated when the time came. Many of these came from the south (so they wouldn't have been on the British radar) and would have been kept away from mainstream IRA activities in order to stay as clandestine as possible. There were a few London-Irish who participated in the England Department, one of whom, Diarmuid O'Neill, was killed by the Met in the late 1990s.

The term "Kilburn Brigade" was probably a tongue-in-cheek perjorative term aimed at the Irish community in general whom many Tories viewed as a Fifth Column at the time of the IRA campaign.

Interesting. I knew of Diarmuid O'Neill alright. Do you know any other second-generation Irish people who were in the Provisional IRA or INLA also?

The term 'Kilburn Brigade' was apparently said by the IRA men who claimed responsibility when they called the police after the Post Office Tower bomb went off. Unless the police were lying when they reported it, it was the IRA who coined such a title, not Lord Clifford of Chudleigh.

Fratton Fred

FTA69 wrote: »

The term "Kilburn Brigade" was probably a tongue-in-cheek perjorative term aimed at the Irish community in general whom many Tories viewed as a Fifth Column at the time of the IRA campaign.

Maybe if the Irish community hadn't been openly collecting money in kilburn pubs the term.wouldn't have come about.

The restraint shown by English people towards the Irish in the 70s and 80s was amazing tbh.

MakeEmLaugh

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Maybe if the Irish community hadn't been openly collecting money in kilburn pubs the term.wouldn't have come about.

The restraint shown by English people towards the Irish in the 70s and 80s was amazing tbh.

Seriously? Can you cite examples of this? All I've read on this subject has led me to believe that the Irish in Britain worked hard, kept their head down and never sympathised with the Provisional IRA.

All I've ever come across is accounts of Irish people in Britain being furious about the actions of the Provisional IRA.

Fratton Fred

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Seriously? Can you cite examples of this? All I've read on this subject has led me to believe that the Irish in Britain worked hard, kept their head down and never sympathised with the Provisional IRA.

All I've ever come across is accounts of Irish people in Britain being furious about the actions of the Provisional IRA.

Then you've not dug very deep.

Yes, 99% of Irish people living and working in England had nothing to do with the IRA and were rightly horrified whenever they planted another bomb, but Kilburn was famous for being openly sympathetic to "The Cause".

Why do you think the UDA bombed Biddy Mulligans? the rumours were that there were collecting tins on the bar for the IRA, where you would normally see RNLI ones.

jonniebgood1

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Then you've not dug very deep.

.

You were asked to substantiate your initial comment.

I take it from your response that you are unable to do so?

Fratton Fred

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Then you've not dug very deep.
.

You were asked to substantiate your initial comment.
I take it from your response that you are unable to do so?

Nothing on this thread has been substantiated tbf.

There ate lots of references available, I'll put some up.

Let's face it though, pubsdidnt exactly advertise it. "tonight only, the Dubliners followed by a whip round for the RA".

MakeEmLaugh

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Why do you think the UDA bombed Biddy Mulligans? the rumours were that there were collecting tins on the bar for the IRA, where you would normally see RNLI ones.

There seems to be very little concrete information about the bombing of Biddy Mulligans. Having done some rudimentary internet research, I have read four separate organisations being assigned responsibility for the incident.

(1) The Provisional IRA

(2) A Provisional IRA splinter group called 'Young Militants'.

(3) The UDA

(4) The UDR

Fenian Army

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Then you've not dug very deep.

Yes, 99% of Irish people living and working in England had nothing to do with the IRA and were rightly horrified whenever they planted another bomb, but Kilburn was famous for being openly sympathetic to "The Cause".

Why do you think the UDA bombed Biddy Mulligans? the rumours were that there were collecting tins on the bar for the IRA, where you would normally see RNLI ones.

More likely for prisoners/internees dependents fund, if there were any tins whatsoever.

It takes a warped British Nationalist mentality to simultaneously pat yourself on the back for "restraint" while your government butchered Irish people, both through their armed forces and collusion with loyalists - that's not to mention documented instances of systematic torturing of prisoners and imprisoning people without trial.

Most British people didn't really care about the Irish - thats why the six counties got blasted apart for years with little said (barely discussed in parliament) but a handful of bombs in Britain forced progress and got the British govt to capitulate and let the republican movement sit at the table. (not to mention their complicity with letting the Orange state get away with things for so long)

Some British people joined the cause and are to be commended, as are the many British people who hated what their country was doing and tried to address it, Dr Dugdale is a famous example.

FTA is correct, there were no specific location based brigades or battalions in England, but there were many activists. Major jobs tended to be a combination of England based volunteers and people sent over from Ireland.

Fenian Army

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Seriously? Can you cite examples of this? All I've read on this subject has led me to believe that the Irish in Britain worked hard, kept their head down and never sympathised with the Provisional IRA.

All I've ever come across is accounts of Irish people in Britain being furious about the actions of the Provisional IRA.

Well you have heard nonsense then - lots of valuable support was got from the diaspora.

Fratton Fred

Originally Posted by Fratton Fred
you wanted something to back up my statement. I see the thread has been locked, so these may be of interest.


First paragraph in this blog
http://www.timeout.com/london/featur...burn-high-road

Last paragraph in this one:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lanc...plain/A1171603

Ruth Dudley-Edwards memories?
http://www.ruthdudleyedwards.co.uk/j...rInd08_16.html

jonniebgood1

I'm sure OP had good intentions for this thread but we all know where it was going so I have closed it to save us the argument. People with views from the far end of both sides of this are not going to agree anytime soon but some civil manners would be a start and on this forum some type of reliance on fact would be a welcome addition.

Moderator.