[tom8517]

I'm doing a lot of reading on this, as you said earlier, I'll keep an open mind.

Since the mention of the Boston mob connection came up, a couple of interesting facts. Their first method of smuggling arms to Ireland was in the caskets of deceased Irishmen who had died in the US but wished to be laid to rest in their home soil. Up to 7 assault rifles could be placed under the deceased, no one ever caught on. The IRA/Boston connection came to halt when the mob made an overly ambitious shipment of an entire boat load of weapons. The Irish navy intercepted it, resulting in a number of arrests. The IRA personnel who went to the US to act as liaisons were absolutely stunned by that high quality, military grade firearms were so readily available for sale in any sporting goods store. A bit like kids in a candy shop. One other myth, Whitey Bolger, the head of the Irish mob in Boston, went on the run in 1994 and eluded capture for twenty years despite being on the FBI's most wanted list. There was a persistent rumor that the IRA had him tucked away somewhere in Ireland in return for the arms. He was actually pretty much hiding in plain sight in southern California the whole time, where he was eventually arrested.