Estimated annual IRA income generated from illegal sources in Northern Ireland 2002

During the Troubles, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA, or often just known as the IRA) was the largest paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland. To fund their operations, estimated to cost over five million British pounds annually in the latter years of the conflict, the IRA used various illegal methods to raise money. Due to a lack of records and the illegal nature of these activities, it has proven incredibly difficult to estimate the total amount of cash raised by the IRA during the Troubles, however rough estimates for some sources of income do exist.

Estimated sources of income

In the 1970s, it was believed that the IRA raised over a million pounds per year by skimming money from legitimate businesses such as clubs, bars, or taxi companies, or through the sale of stolen or smuggled goods in such establishments. Additionally, bank robberies were common and estimated to have brought in over a quarter of a million annually, while donations from abroad* also generated a large amount of support. By the 1980s, the IRA's fundraising methods had become more complex. It was estimated that smuggling cost the Northern Irish economy over 100 million pounds per year in the 80s, with the IRA pocketing a large share of the profits. Cigarette smuggling from East and Southeast Asia netted the IRA 1.5 million pounds annually, while numerous smaller smuggling operations combined to generate millions more. This even included the smuggling of livestock and grain across the border into the North, where EEC subsidies could then be exploited. The IRA also produced illegal goods that were then distributed, with pirated VHS tapes raking in almost one million pounds annually.

Other sources of income

On top of the figures listed above, there were many other illegal practices generating income for the IRA, although estimates for these sources of income are less clear. By the end of the Troubles, one sources estimates that protection rackets generated over six million pounds annually for the IRA, with the majority of businesses in Northern Ireland believed to have some form of "damage insurance" agreement with paramilitary groups. A similar system was in place for drug dealers, who paid to be tolerated by paramilitaries, although this varied by time and place and was more prevalent in loyalist-controlled areas. Kidnappings could also generate substantial amounts, with numerous known cases of businessmen or bank workers ransomed for anywhere between several thousand pounds to several hundred thousand pounds, although these fell out of favor by the 1980s following a shootout with Irish security forces.