The Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) was a socialist Irish republican paramilitary group that existed from December 1969 to May 1972 during the early stages of The Troubles. The organization was formed as the result of a split within the ranks of the Old IRA; Cathal Goulding's communist ruling council would proclaim that it was the "Official IRA", represented by the Workers' Party of Ireland, while a "provisional" IRA Army Council would be formed by the Provisional IRA as a part of a major schism within the organization. The OIRA sought to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland as a "workers' republic" adhering to Marxism-Leninism, leading to other Irish republican groups nicknaming the organization the "Red IRA"; unlike the Provisional IRA, the OIRA did not receive significant funding from the Irish diaspora. The group was responsible for the 1972 Aldershot bombing, its largest attack and the first major attack on mainland Britain during The Troubles. In May 1972, the Official IRA decided to declare a ceasefire and limit its operations to defense and retaliation, and the OIRA entered politics with the Workers' Party of Ireland, while the Provisional IRA outshadowed the OIRA militarily. The Official IRA would focus only on defending itself from the Provos, and it ceased its war with the Brritish.
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