This is a timeline of actions by the Irish republican paramilitary groups referred to as the Real Irish Republican Army ('Real IRA') and New Irish Republican Army ('New IRA'). The Real IRA was formed in 1997 by disaffected members of the Provisional IRA. Since July 2012, when Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) and other small republican groups merged with it, the group has been called the New IRA; although it continues to call itself simply "the Irish Republican Army".
It has been the largest and most active of the dissident republican paramilitaries waging a campaign against the British security forces. The other main republican paramilitary groups are the group which calls itself Óglaigh na hÉireann, and the Continuity IRA. All actions listed took place in Northern Ireland unless stated otherwise.
1998 Note: for some of the incidents in 1998, it is unclear whether the Real IRA, the Continuity IRA, or both organisations were responsible. 6 January: A 500 lb car bomb was defused by the security forces in the centre of Banbridge, County Down. A telephoned warning had been sent. 24 January: An explosion in Enniskillen was attributed to those responsible for the Banbridge device. 20 February: Following a telephoned warning, a 500 lb car bomb exploded outside the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base in Moira, County Down. Seven RUC officers and four civilians were hurt. The blast caused widespread damage. 23 February: Following a telephoned warning, a 300 lb car bomb exploded near the RUC base on Edward Street in Portadown, County Armagh. The blast caused widespread damage but no injuries. 10 March: There was a barrack buster attack on the RUC base on Newry Road in Armagh. Five mortars were launched and three exploded on impact.Nally Report (2003). pp.9-12 People were evacuated from the surrounding area after the British Army spotted the launchers, and there were no injuries. 24 March: There were two mortar attacks in South Armagh. Four mortars were fired at Forkill British Army/RUC base; one exploded inside the base but caused no injuries. A further two mortars were fired at a British Army watchtower at Glasdrumman, but fell short of the target.The Queen -v- Sean Hoey NICC 49. Crown Court for Northern Ireland. It is believed the RIRA was responsible. 2 April: A 1000 lb RIRA car bomb was intercepted by Gardaí as it was boarding the Dún Laoghaire-Holyhead ferry in Dublin. 30 April: Following a telephoned warning, a 550–600 lb car bomb was defused in the centre of Lisburn. It is believed the RIRA was responsible. 1 May: RIRA member Ronan Mac Lochlainn, a native of County Dublin, was shot dead by Gardaí during an attempted robbery of a cash-in-transit van in County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. 4 May: There was an attempted mortar attack on Grosvenor Road RUC base in Belfast. One of the mortars fell short of the target and the other exploded in its launch tube. 8 May: The RIRA issued a statement declaring war on the United Kingdom. 9 May: There was an attempted mortar attack on the RUC base in Belleek, County Fermanagh. The mortars fell short of the target and one exploded as the RUC was clearing the area. A claim of responsibility was made on behalf of the Real IRA. 16 May: Following a telephoned warning, a 500 lb car bomb was defused near the RUC base in Armagh. 23 June: The RIRA is believed to have been responsible for an explosion on a road near Forkill, County Armagh. 24 June: A 200 lb car bomb exploded in the centre of Newtownhamilton. The INLA issued a 50-minute warning about the bomb, but people were still being evacuated when it exploded and six people were injured. See: Newtownhamilton bombing 2 July: An RIRA bomb seriously damaged the Dublin-Belfast railway line at Carnagat, outside Newry. 10 July: An RIRA operation targeting London's transport system and commercial premises was foiled following the arrest of several suspected activists in Ireland and England. Police in London retrieved a cache of incendiary devices and a small Semtex bomb.Irish Independent, 13 July 1998. 11 July: A 1,400 lb car bomb intended for either Portadown or Armagh city was abandoned outside the Moy, County Armagh because of intense levels of British Army and RUC activity in the area. 13 July: Following a telephoned warning, a 635 lb car bomb was defused outside the courthouse in Newry. It is believed the RIRA was responsible. 21 July: A mortar was fired at Corry Square RUC base in Newry, but fell short of the target and did not detonate. The Real IRA claimed responsibility. 28 July: The RIRA was blamed for planting incendiary bombs in shops in Portadown. 1 August: 1998 Banbridge bombing: A 500 lb car bomb exploded in the centre of Banbridge, County Down. Telephoned warnings were sent but the bomb exploded before the area was fully evacuated. Two RUC officers and thirty-three civilians were hurt and the blast caused extensive damage. The Real IRA claimed responsibility. 15 August: Omagh bombing: A 500 lb car bomb exploded in the centre of Omagh, County Tyrone. The bomb killed 29 civilians and wounded 220 others. This was the highest death toll from a single attack during the Troubles. Although warnings had been given 38 minutes beforehand, they proved to be insufficient. 18 August: The RIRA announced it was suspending all military operations. 7 September: The RIRA announced a ceasefire.
1999 9 May: A 2007 inquest heard that the RIRA were responsible for the killing of Brendan "Speedy" Fegan in Newry, County Down as a purported drug dealer.
2000 20 January: The RIRA announced an end to its ceasefire. 25 February: The RIRA is believed to have been responsible for a bomb attack against a British Army barracks in Ballykelly, County Londonderry. The Continuity IRA initially claimed responsibility for the blast but security sources said they believed it was the RIRA who were responsible. 6 April: The RIRA detonated a bomb at Ebrington British Army barracks in Derry. The bomb destroyed an unmanned guardhouse and damaged the perimeter fence. 14 April: The RIRA were blamed for a failed mortar bomb attack on an army base in Rosslea, County Fermanagh. 24 May: The RIRA were responsible for a mortar bomb attack on a British Army base in Glasdrumman (or Glassdrummond), South Armagh. 1 June: The RIRA detonated a small bomb on Hammersmith Bridge in London. 19 June: A RIRA bomb was on a railway line at Ealing Broadway in London. 20 June: The RIRA were responsible for a leaving an explosive device in the property of former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Mandelson in Hillsborough, County Down. 30 June: The RIRA bombed the main Dublin-to-Belfast railway line near Meigh, County Armagh. 9 July: The RIRA detonated a car bomb at Stewartstown, County Tyrone RUC station. 13 September: The RIRA were responsible for a mortar bomb attack on an RUC station in Armagh town. 13 September: The RIRA were responsible for planting two 80 lb bombs at Magilligan British Army camp, County Londonderry, one of which was planted in a wooden hut and partially exploded when a soldier opened the door to the hut.Mooney & O'Toole, pp. 347-348. The second bomb was found during a follow-up search and made safe by bomb disposal experts. 22 September: The RIRA fired an RPG-22 anti-tank rocket at the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service in London. 13 October: RIRA member, Joseph O'Connor, a grandson of Francisco Notarantonio (a republican internee shot dead on 9 October 1987), was shot dead in Ballymurphy, Belfast in an intrarepublican feud. 24 September: The RIRA were responsible for detonating a 50 lb bomb on a railway line in Dunmurry, County Antrim. 1 November: A RIRA booby trap bomb hidden in a traffic cone exploded in Castlewellan, County Down, seriously injuring an RUC officer who lost a leg and two fingers.
2001 23 January: The RIRA were responsible for a mortar attack on Ebrington Barracks in Derry. One mortar landed inside the perimeter fence of the base after being fired from a parked van. No one was injured. 5 February: The RIRA were responsible for a pipe bomb attack in which a couple were injured in Newcastle, County Down.Couple injured by pipe bomb, bbc.co.uk; accessed 10 October 2015. The RIRA would later kill the man, in a gun attack a year later in February 2002. 21 February: A RIRA bomb disguised as a torch exploded outside a British Army barracks in Shepherd's Bush, West London, after a 14-year-old army cadet picked it up. The cadet, Stephen Menary, lost his left hand and left eye, and suffered severe stomach and chest injuries. 4 March: The RIRA detonated a car bomb outside the BBC's London headquarters (see 4 March 2001 BBC bombing). The explosion was captured by a BBC cameraman and the footage was broadcast on TV stations worldwide, gaining mass publicity for the group. 14 April: The RIRA was blamed for a small bomb explosion at a postal sorting office in Hendon, London. No one was injured in the explosion, which caused "minor" damage to the building at The Hyde, in Hendon. 23 April: The RIRA were blamed for a grenade attack on an RUC station in Derry. 6 May: The RIRA was blamed for a small bomb explosion at the same Hendon building where another bomb had exploded on 14 April 2001. There was no warning and one man was injured in the explosion. 15 May: The RIRA was blamed for a mortar attack on an army base in Bessbrook, County Armagh. May 27: The RIRA were responsible for a failed rocket attack on an RUC station in Strabane, County Tyrone. The device contained just over one pound of Semtex. 8 June: The RIRA was blamed for a gun attack at a polling station in Draperstown, County Londonderry. Two RUC officers and a civilian were wounded. 1 August: The RIRA planted a 44 lb car bomb at Belfast International Airport. It was made safe by bomb disposal officers. 3 August: The RIRA detonated a car bomb in Ealing, London, injuring seven people (see 3 August 2001 Ealing bombing). 22 August: The RIRA planted a small bomb on a bridge in Derry. The group gave a telephoned warning and the bomb was defused. 1 November: The RIRA were blamed for planting a faulty incendiary device in a sports shop in Hill Street, Newry, County Down. The device was smouldering in a pocket of the jacket, but had burnt itself out. 3 November: The RIRA planted a car bomb in the centre of Birmingham, England but it failed to detonate properly.
2002 3 January: The RIRA carried out a pipe bomb attack on a police officer's home in Annalong, County Down. 26 January: The RIRA were believed to have been responsible for a blast bomb attack during disturbances in north Belfast. Three police officers and two soldiers were injured in the blast.2 soldiers and 3 police officers hurt in Belfast blast, bbc.co.uk; accessed 10 October 2015. 21 February: The RIRA claimed responsibility for the shooting death of Matthew Burns in a car outside Castlewellan, County Down. Burns' brother, the driver, was injured. It is believed the killing was a result of a personal feud between Burns and the RIRA. 3 March: Two teenaged boys are injured with a RIRA booby trap bomb in Forkill, County Armagh. The device was hidden inside a traffic cone when it exploded.Boys injured in Forkill, County Armagh blast, bbc.co.uk; accessed 10 October 2015. 29 March: The RIRA targeted a former member of the Royal Irish Regiment in Sion Mills, County Tyrone. A bomb was attached to his car but failed to explode.Ex-soldier escapes 'Real IRA' booby trap bomb attack, independent.ie; accessed 10 October 2015. 13 April: The RIRA were blamed for two bomb attacks on PSNI stations in Downpatrick and Ardglass, both in County Down.Dissidents blamed for bomb attacks, bbc.co.uk; accessed 10 October 2015. 24 April: the RIRA left a bomb in a jeep outside Maghaberry jail, near Lisburn. Only the detonator exploded.Irish Independent. 30 April 2002.