On 28 July 2005, the Irish Republican Army formally declared an end to its 35-year armed campaign, ordering all its units to dump their weapons and pursue their goals exclusively through political and peaceful means.
The statement took effect from 4pm that afternoon and was read aloud by Séanna Breathnach Walsh, a republican former prisoner, in a video statement broadcast around the world. It was the first time an IRA statement had been delivered by someone appearing unmasked since 1972.
What the Statement Said
The organisation's leadership stated plainly: "The leadership of Óglaigh na hÉireann has formally ordered an end to the armed campaign. This will take effect from 4pm this afternoon." All IRA units were ordered to dump arms, and volunteers were instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means, with an explicit instruction that they must not engage in any other activities whatsoever. The IRA also authorised its representative to re-engage with the international body overseeing decommissioning.
While declaring an end to armed activity, the statement did not renounce the legitimacy of the IRA's past campaign, reaffirming the organisation's view that its armed struggle had been entirely legitimate as a means of pursuing a united Ireland, while acknowledging that many had suffered during the conflict and that society was now compelled to build a lasting peace.
International Reaction
The response from world leaders was immediate and largely welcoming, though cautious. Then British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the announcement could mark the day "politics replaces terror" in Northern Ireland. The White House issued a statement calling it "an important and potentially historic statement," while noting that it would need to be followed by concrete actions demonstrating a genuine commitment to the rule of law, and acknowledging that "many, especially victims and their families, will be skeptical." The Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General described the move as a potential "watershed" in Northern Ireland's history if fully implemented.
What Followed
The IRA's commitment was followed through: full decommissioning of its weapons was completed and independently verified by the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning in September 2005, a concrete step that helped pave the way for the eventual restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland. Combined with the final release of paramilitary prisoners from the Maze prison five years earlier, the 2005 statement is widely regarded as one of the decisive moments that closed out three and a half decades of armed conflict during the Troubles.