Irish Republican Army

Irish Republican Army
Also called:	IRA
Type:	Revolutionary military organisation
Place of origin:	United Kingdom
Notable members:	Reegan Seamus

The Irish Republican Army or IRA was a revolutionary military organisation which committed terrorist acts in the United Kingdom, including both England and Northern Ireland, during the 1970s.

Reegan began his criminal career robbing banks for the IRA but once they found out that he was keeping much of the stolen money, he fled to escape being killed. (PROSE: The Ambassadors of Death)

Major Barker had led a squad against an IRA sniper in Derry. The sniper was taken prisoner but when a soldier was killed by a second sniper, Barker executed the prisoner in anger. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters)

Initial reports from the British government stated that the IRA was responsible for the terrorist attacks which occurred throughout England on Black Thursday in the 1970s. However, these reports were later withdrawn. The IRA's alleged involvement in this incident was, in fact, a cover story designed to hide the true nature of the Nestene's attempted invasion of Earth.(PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy)

Francis Cleary's uncle Seamus was a member of the IRA. Cleary volunteered for UNIT to avoid going to Northern Ireland. (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy)

During the Martian Invasion of 1997, Home Secretary David Staines wondered what plans the Ice Warriors would have for Éire should the IRA attack "our boys". (PROSE: The Dying Days)

Behind the scenes

• The production text on the Ambassadors of Death DVD revealed that Reegan and his gang were originally meant to be Irish, and suggests it was changed after the Troubles started in early January 1969: "all in all, it might not have been the best moment to show Irish hoodlums planning to deploy a powerful new weapon." The backstory was eventually used in the novelisation.

• On 4 April 1988, filming for the Doctor Who television story Remembrance of the Daleks caused a brief panic when a large explosion set off on a London side street during filming of a Dalek battle scene was mistaken for a possible IRA bombing.

• During the production of Wartime, armed police were monitoring the M1 for suspected IRA gunrunners. The production crew were confronted at a Watford Gap service station and had to prove their guns were props.