Real Irish Republican Army

Real Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann)
Participant in the Troubles and the dissident Irish republican campaign
Active	1997–present
Ideology	Irish republicanism
Leaders	Army Council
Area of operations	Northern Ireland (mainly) Republic of Ireland England
Strength	150 (max, as of June 2005) 250–300 (as of September 2012)
Originated as	Provisional Irish Republican Army
Allies	Continuity Irish Republican Army Óglaigh na hÉireann
Opponents	British Army Police Service of Northern Ireland

The Real Irish Republican Army or Real IRA, also referred to as the New IRA (since the 2012 merger), is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation which aims to bring about a united Ireland. It formed in 1997 following a split in the Provisional IRA by dissident members, who rejected the Provisionals' ceasefire that year. Like the Provisional IRA before it, the RIRA sees itself as the only rightful successor to the original Irish Republican Army and styles itself as "the Irish Republican Army" in English or Óglaigh na hÉireann in Irish. It is an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland and designated as a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Since its formation, RIRA has waged a campaign in Northern Ireland against the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)—formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)—and the British Army. The RIRA is the largest and most active of the "dissident republican" paramilitary groups operating against the British security forces. It has targeted the security forces in gun attacks and bombings, and with grenades, mortars and rockets. The organisation has also been responsible for bombings in Northern Ireland and England with the goal of causing economic harm and/or disruption. The most notable of these was the 1998 Omagh bombing, which killed 29 people. After that bombing the RIRA went on ceasefire, but began operations again in 2000. In March 2009 it claimed responsibility for an attack on Massereene Barracks which killed two British soldiers, the first to be killed in Northern Ireland since 1997.

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