It is somewhat ironic that hard core Irish Republicans have reveled in the success of the theft of $50 million from Northern Bank , which could be used to fund countless murderous operations by the Provisional IRA , but the death of one man, Robert McCartney, has temporarily eroded support both for the IRA and its political wing Sinn Fein. The fact that McCartney, who was allegedly murdered by members of the IRA after an argument, was himself a Republican and Sinn Fein supporter is probably the main reason why his death has had such a negative impact. Sadly, Republicans are as committed as ever to the cause of Irish unification by any means, including violence. As a result, the bank raid was viewed as a justifiable operation intended to sustain the IRA. However, the murder of one of their own and the subsequent attempted cover up by the IRA was probably viewed as unacceptable, even by a community that would have few qualms about killing Protestants or the British. However, one should not read too much into Republican anger and their ?crocodile tears,? given that such negative emotions have run high before when the IRA has been perceived to have crossed a certain line. Such anger has quickly dissipated and has never seriously eroded the group?s core support base.

Of far more concern to the IRA has been the impact of its actions in the wider Catholic community, particularly in the Irish Republic. The Irish government has exploited expertly both the bank raid and McCarthy’s murder to discredit Sinn Fein, which had been gaining electoral ground on the established political parties. It has yet to be seen if these actions will undermine support for Sinn Fein at the next local or national elections, but that has to be a serious concern for Republicans. Certainly, the Irish government will continue to exploit these incidents in the hopes that it will. Similarly, moderate Catholic politicians in the north will also exploit these incidents in an attempt to reverse the success that Sinn Fein has had in recent elections attracting moderate Catholic voters.