IRA heartland awaits next step after disarmament

There was little doubt in the IRA heartland of South Armagh that the terror group’s war with Britain had finally ended.

As the decommissioning body declared the Provos had dumped their massive arsenal, the people of Crossmaglen sat back and waited for the rest of Northern Ireland to react.

Pub-goers in the busy town showed little emotion or surprise as General John de Chastelain confirmed one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist groups had destroyed its arms.

Local farmers and pensioners sheltering from the elements sat glued to television screens in the bars as the general gave his verdict.

On the bustling streets outside, murals and billboards celebrating atrocities against security forces had become weather-beaten, no longer the shrines they once were.

But as the heavy drone of British military aircraft interrupted the silence in Short’s Bar, questions were fired from customers gathered at the counter.

In the tiny pub where Labour MP Clare Short was brought up, the regulars were quick to realise the significance of the events of the last few days.

But for those who witnessed 35 years of shooting and bombing and some of the most ferocious and imaginative guerrilla warfare, questions remained.

One elderly farmer asked: “Will it be enough?”

The three-man independent decommissioning team insists the IRA has met its commitments to dump its arms.

They revealed the Provos had given an inventory of weapons which satisfied what Irish and British intelligence forces believed they had.

Gen de Chastelain recorded a range of weaponry from high-calibre machine guns to missiles – and the IRA’s deadliest weapon, the mortar bomb.

But the people of Crossmaglen do not expect unionists to go rushing into power-sharing and accepted there will be difficulties ahead.

As the general’s press conference dragged on, a customer in the bar said: “They are trying to explain the unexplainable. That’s why there’s so many questions.”