Unjust war, since they aren't really soldiers

The position of the the citizenry and "militia" of Northern Ireland might be more palatable as a justified struggle if they had behavde as more than gang members in an ever increasingly violent conflict with their own people. If the IRA was supposed to represent the true will of the Irish people to be free, why did they often destroy property and lives of Irish citizens. Most notably civilians?They cannot even claim that their supposed stance on moral highground stems from the conflict between Catholic Cathcetism and the Church of England. In 1979 Pope John Paul II asked the IRA to lay down thier arms and seek peaceful resolution of grievances. The IRA rejected his advice and declared that it had widespread support and that Britain would only withdraw from Northern Ireland if forced to do so: "force is by far the only means of removing the evil of the British presence in Ireland ... we know also that upon victory the Church would have no difficulty in recognising us".27 February 2005 IRA members in a bar claim another bar patron made a lewd comment to a female companion. The bar patron and one of his friends were then drug into the streets by the IRA members and and stabbed. McCartney was fataly wounded. McCartney was a civilian, a fiance, a father an Irishman and most notably a Catholic. The IRA members then threatened all the bar patrons and staff with further violence should anyone call for police, testify to police or in court, or administer aid. Female members of the IRA were then called to clean the crime scene with bleach to destroy forensic evidence. Are those the actions of civic minded patriots, who mean to bring greater good to their people or rough shod hooligans with violent tendencies?