Belfast Brigade (IRA)

[1] The Brigade was strengthened during the period between the end of hostilities between the IRA and British forces in July 1921 and the outbreak of the Irish Civil War in June 1922.

During this time, Michael Collins, head of the new Irish Free State sent arms and money to the IRA in Belfast in an effort to de-stabilise the newly created Northern Ireland.

In addition over 1,000 IRA men in Belfast had to flee Northern Ireland to escape the repression there and around 500 of them were recruited into the pro-treaty National Army during the civil war.

[3] While Graham and others in the Belfast command continued to debate the merits of a new northern campaign, in April 1942 a diversionary action, drew the RUC into a gun battle in Cawnpore Street.

It took the formation of the Provisional IRA and its Belfast Brigade in 1969 before republicans were again in a position to carry out attacks in Northern Ireland's capital city.

The Official IRA also had a Belfast brigade which was commanded by Republican Billy McMillen, just like the Provisionals it carried a guerrilla campaign against the British forces in Ireland but they called a ceasefire in May 1972, but still carried out a handful of attack in 1973, 1974 & 1975, and they also became involved in a feud with the Provisionals, 11 people were killed in the feud & many more injured, the vast majority of attacks by both sides happened in Belfast.