flamingo:
I think that in the scenario that you mentioned, the government in the south would have been forced by to intervene on the side of the nationalists, however reluctantly. Not to do so would have been political suicide. (IMHO)
To have intervned would have been military suicide..... if we following the Sri Lankan statergy I am asuming that outside interfernece would not have been tolerated.... and the skies of the south been criss crossed with vulcan contrails
trotsky
tropper66:
There was a rumour going around that some of PIRA where trained by the yanks
There was a late 70's novel based on this called "Whisper who dares" ... read it hundreds of times in the CCF circa 1985 
re motorman, this is interesting.... the size of the operation nowadays seems huge
www.youtube.com/watch?v=of3MgiifE38
the video is very much from the pro IRA stance
tropper66:
The South did intervene, It formed and trained the PIRA to insure that the OIRA could not take control of the war
Yea, right - what size tin-foil hat do you wear, by the way?
tropper66:
There was a rumour going around that some of PIRA where trained by the yanks
As per the comment above
Trotsky:
If we would have been prepared to fight in the way you suggest...... i think wiping out the souths defences would have been a daytrip for the armed forces in the 70's ........ might as well go the whole hog if the south are supporting the IRA!
trotsky
Thats quite an assumption you make there, shame its way off the markOn the reaction of the Irish government to Operation Motorman:
www.birw.org/Daniel%20..._ftnref109
Quote:
Jack Lynch, the Taoiseach of Ireland, was informed of Operation Motorman by Sir John Peck, the British Ambassador to Ireland, a few hours before the troops moved in. President Nixon of the USA, the Vatican, and other heads of state, including members of NATO and the European Community, were also forewarned.[34] Sir John Peck conveyed the warning to Dr Patrick Hillery, then the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, at 8:45 pm on 30th July. Dr Hillery conveyed the message to Jack Lynch, who was electioneering in County Cork, who asked Sir John Peck to meet him at Divisional Police Headquarters in Cork at 12:30 am on 31st July. At the meeting, which lasted an hour, the Taoiseach said he would support Operation Motorman on four conditions:
· that military action be quickly followed up with a political initiative;
· that firm action be taken against any Protestants maintaining or re-erecting barricades[35];
· no discrimination between the Catholic and Protestant communities and action to stop loyalist sectarian murders; and
· that every possible effort be made to spare innocent lives during and after the operation.[36]
How they would have reacted to an enhanced Motorman (Operation Folklore, according to the website linked below), I'm not sure...