Below is a quote from one of the clips

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The bold bit is the crucial difference. These gangs interact out of mutual self-interest whereas the IRA have an operational and organised structure.

The IRA are the ones challenging the Dublin gangs for power but you ain't seeing the Dublin gangs challenging the IRA for dominance in other counties. It's not as if these gangs have the firepower to go into South Armagh, is it? Even the British Army are shaky going in there. Come on, let's be serious how can you really compare the two?

The ongoing turf war is focused around the distribution of drugs around North Dublin and there is no challenge to the IRA really going on outside of the city. In the Limerick conflict they were arming both sides of the warring factions but weren't directly involved themselves. That's the difference.

I'm not saying these gangs are nothin but they just have one simple priority, business. The Real IRA on the other hand are attempting to conduct a war in an era where the kind of surveillance techniques used and the kinds of technology deployed against their ranks has never been so tough.

It is true that the IRA could be said to be more of an OC operation now than ever before but that doesn't detract from the overall structure which means the most the Dublin gangs can ever hope for is to keep these guys from controlling their drug turf. They are more than capable of fighting their corner but they are not going to wipe the IRA off the map on a national level.

Let's keep things in perspective is all I'm saying.