Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO)

IRISH NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY 

Arm Saoirse Náisiúnta na hÉireann

 

 

The Irish National Liberation Army (Arm Saoirse Náisiúnta na hÉireann) or INLA was formed in December 1974 as a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization by disaffected members of the Official IRA who themselves broke away from the main IRA in 1969. 
The INLA was founded along with its political wing the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) at the Spa Hotel in Lucan, South Dublin on the 10th of December 1974. The meeting was chaired by INLA founder & it's first Cheif of Staff Seamus Costello, a native of Bray in County Wicklow.
In its early days it went through several different names including the "Peoples Liberation Army" and the "People's Republican Army" until eventually the name the INLA stuck.

                                       (Seamus Costello ^ INLA & IRSP Founder)                                         

The groups first objective was to establish itself as the main Republican Socialist movement in Ireland. This brought them into direct confrontation with their former comrades in the Offical IRA. In fact by early 1975 a  violent feud broke out between the two Marxist paramilitary groups. 
On the 20th of February 1975 the Official IRA shot dead a member of the INLA's political wing the IRSP in Ballymurphy, Belfast. During the next week in revenge attacks the INLA shot dead two Volunteers of the Official IRA, the Officials responded by shooting an INLA Volunteer. By the time the feud was over in June 1975 four Official IRA Volunteers were dead along with three INLA ones & a member of the IRSP. During the feud the INLA killed top experienced Official IRA members Billy McMillen & Sean Garland which severely weakened the Official Republican movement. 
With the feud over the INLA were now able to turn their attentions to the British Army and RUC. 
On the 26th of July 1975 a INLA sniper shot dead an RUC officer after he had just left the safety of his armoured personnel carrier in the town of Dungiven in County Derry. This was the start of the INLA's real war against the Northern Ireland state & British armed forces.

Until the late 1970's most of the INLA's attacks and operations were sporadic, as they were about 1/10th the size of the main Republican paramilitary the Provisional IRA who had been waging a military campaign since 1970 and the INLA at first found it hard to draw recruits.