paramilitary
organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland
from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland
by force of arms and political persuasion. It emerged out of the December 1969 split of the Irish Republican Army
over differences of ideology and how to respond to violence against the nationalist community. This violence had followed the community's demands for civil rights
in 1968 and 1969, which met with resistance from some of the unionist
community and from the authorities, and culminated in the 1969 Northern Ireland riots
.
1972 Bloody Friday bombings by the Provisional IRA around Belfast, [[Bloody Friday (1972)|Bloody Friday]] bombings by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] around [[Belfast]], [[Bloody Friday (1972)|Bloody Friday]] bombings by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] around [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland
1972 Three car bombs are detonated in Claudy, Northern Ireland, killing nine in what is believed to be a Provisional Irish Republican Army attack.
1973 Mountjoy Prison helicopter escape. Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escape from Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, Republic of Ireland aboard a hijacked helicopter that lands in the exercise yard.
1974 Guildford pub bombings: bombs planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) kill four British soldiers and one civilian.
1975 Balcombe Street Siege: An IRA Active Service Unit takes a couple hostage in Balcombe Street, London.
1978 The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30.
1979 An IRA bomb kills British World War II admiral Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and 3 others while they are boating on holiday in Sligo, Republic of Ireland. Another bomb near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland kills 18 British soldiers.
1979 In Dublin, Ireland, Provisional Irish Republican Army member Thomas McMahon is sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of Lord Mountbatten.
1981 Provisional Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands begins his hunger strike in HM Prison Maze.
1981 Francis Hughes starves to death in the Maze Prison in a Republican campaign for political prisoner status to be granted to Provisional IRA prisoners.