The sound that signalled death for IRA ‘informers’

In the midst of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) waged a brutal campaign against those they deemed to be informers. These individuals were often targeted and killed for providing information to the British authorities.

One chilling detail that emerged from the IRA’s tactics was the use of a specific sound to alert their members to the presence of an informer. The sound was a knock on a door – a series of knocks that would signal to IRA members that the individual inside was believed to be an informer.

For those inside the house, hearing that knock was a death sentence. Once identified as an informer, they would be abducted, interrogated, and ultimately killed by the IRA. The sound of that knock became synonymous with impending doom for those targeted by the IRA.

Throughout the Troubles, the IRA’s use of violence and intimidation against informers instilled fear in communities and tore families apart. The sound of that knock on the door served as a stark reminder of the deadly consequences of betrayal in a conflict marked by violence and bloodshed.