Mark O’Connell

In the following viewpoint, Mark O’Connell presents the view of Martin Galvin, who argues that bombings in Northern Ireland, such as the August 15, 1998, incident in Omagh, can be justified in the name of protesting British rule in the northern counties. Galvin, the former publicity director for the American-based Irish Northern Aid Committee, contends that physical force by the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA)—a dissident group made up of former members of the Irish Republican Army but not affiliated with the IRA—in response to actions by Britain’s government is morally legitimate. O’Connell is the political correspondent for the Sunday Business Post, an Irish newspaper.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What does Galvin claim is the goal of the Good Friday Agreement...