NORAID: Influencing Violence
Despite this growth in Irish American political power, and its ability to influence the Troubles, many Irish Americans still had strong approval for IRA activity and uniting Ireland through violent means. This archived news report takes a look at the Irish Northern Aid Committee, or NORAID, which was an organization for Irish Americans to assist in the battle for one united Ireland. Fundraising events sent Irish American dollars directly to the Provisional IRA, allowing them to grow their campaign. Plainly, the money was for weapons.
After my descriptions of Irish America approaching the Troubles peacefully through political action, it might seem odd that this happened alongside that. However, the video identifies that, for many, NORAID was the only method of supporting the cause. A large number of Irish Americans, in this case in Boston, were illegally in the US. Some of them may have arrived recently after being directly affected by the Troubles (Delaney 2006). In addition to the further negative effects this had on their socio-economic abilities, this means they did not have a vote. Thus, joining your fellow Irish Americans on the local scale to give whatever help you could was the only way to be involved. While they still did have Irish politicians, such as Joe Kennedy in the video, who were trying to help them, it’s often not enough to watch others take action. Even putting $2 in a collection tin could make any Irish American with an affinity for the Catholic struggle in Northern Ireland feel like they were really making a difference, 3000 miles away.
