Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade

Belfast Brigade
Provisional IRA memorial in Belfast
Active	December 1969–July 1997
Disbanded	July 2005
Allegiance	Provisional Irish Republican Army
Size	1,500 (maximum)
Area of operations	Greater Belfast
Conflict	The Troubles Battle of St Matthew's 1971 Scottish soldiers' killings 1971 Springfield Road RUC Barracks bombing Red Lion Pub bombing Balmoral Furniture bombing Abercorn Restaurant bombing Battle at Springmartin Battle of Lenadoon Bloody Friday Donegall Street bombing 1973 Old Bailey Bombing Honey Trap killings Mountainview Tavern attack (claimed by Republican Action Force ) Bayardo Bar attack Stag Inn attack (claimed by Republican Action Force) La Mon restaurant bombing Antrim Road stand off Maze Prison escape Corporals killings 1988 Lisburn van bombing Crumlin Road Prison bombing Night of the Long Knives (1992) Shankill Road bombing Thiepval barracks bombing July 1997 clashes
Commanders
Notable commanders	Billy McKee Joe Cahill Seamus Twomey Gerry Adams (disputed) Ivor Bell Brendan Hughes Martin Meehan Brian Gillen Gerard "Jock" Davison Eddie Copeland(3rd Battalion Commander)

The Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA was the largest of the organisation's brigades, based in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The nucleus of the Belfast Brigade emerged in the divisions within Belfast republicans in the closing months of 1969, and was formally established in January 1970 as the structures of the new dissident group were created after splitting from the Official IRA.

The brigade was organised along geographical lines into three battalions:

• The first battalion covered the Upper Falls, Ballymurphy and Andersonstown
• The second battalion covered the Lower Falls, Clonard and the Divis Flats
• And the third battalion covered The Bone and the Short Strand.^[1]