The Philadelphia gun-runners who supplied the IRA

What this episode covers

In the 1970s, as the Troubles divided Northern Ireland, hundreds of armalite guns were sent to the IRA from across the Atlantic. Reporter Ali Watkins follows the smuggling operations of a ragtag group of Irish American gunrunners from Philadelphia in her new book The Next One is for You. She spoke to Ellie Cawthorne about their impact on the conflict over the ocean. (Ad) Ali Watkins is the author of The Next One Is for You: A True Story of Guns, Country, and the IRA's Secret American Army (Little Brown, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Next-One-You-Country-American/dp/0316538272/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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How long is this episode of HistoryExtra podcast?

This episode is 29 minutes long.

When was this HistoryExtra podcast episode published?

This episode was published on March 26, 2025.

What is this episode about?

In the 1970s, as the Troubles divided Northern Ireland, hundreds of armalite guns were sent to the IRA from across the Atlantic. Reporter Ali Watkins follows the smuggling operations of a ragtag group of Irish American gunrunners from Philadelphia...

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