Just in case anyone is interested, today is the 30th anneversary of the proverbial straw that broke the camels back in Northern Ireland.

Up to this day 30 years ago the IRA was just a gang who spent their time protecting the people of Northern Ireland from internment (imprisonment without trial) by setting up "no go" areas where people could hide from the police.

On Sunday 30th January 1972 "Bloody Sunday" British Paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights demonstration, they shot 32 people and killed 17.

As a direct result of this the IRAs forces increased phenominally and they declared war on the british army who they called "an occupying force" even though it was the nationalists who lobbied Westminster to have the army called in.

Here's the story if you're interested, just remember that no view of the situation is unbiased but this site seems to deal more with the facts than others I've come across, nonetheless, take it with a pinch of salt.