Mr. Mephisto,
I had gotten the distinct impression that vigilante beatings in the RoI had dramatically decreased, but that they were still practiced in many place, just not very often. I appear to have been misinformed; thank you for correcting me in this.
I also know that the man I spoke to on the train was no Easter-16 vet: he was old, but nothing like that old! I got the impression that he was the son of an Official IRA fighter who had been brought up in the shadow of his father's struggle, and had kept the rifle as a result. I'm well-acquainted with the Irish propensity for tale-telling, being mostly Irish myself and having numerous friends and family still living there. I didn't, however, get the impression that this gentleman was pulling my chain.
I also know from my friends and cousins in the North that it's widely thought ( up there, anyway; or at least by them ) that the PIRA had nothing to do with the recent bank-robbery, given that they didn't claim credit for it, which they'd always done in the past. Most of my contacts seem to think the CIRA, RIRA, or one of the Loyalist groups such as the Red Hand Defenders or UDA was responsible.
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