1988 was when the IRA intensified their campaign outside of Northern Ireland . In May 1988 the IRA enjoyed one of their most successful ambushes on British Military figures in mainland Europe with the attacks in the Netherlands when they killed 3 and injured 3 RAF soldiers . Four months later in August 1988 , the Provisional Irish Republican Army carried out the Inglis Barracks bombing , which killed one British soldier and injured 10 others . It was the first IRA attack in England since the infamous Brighton hotel bombing back in October 1984 On Monday 20 February 1989 , the Provisional IRA exploded two bombs at Clive Barracks at Ternhill . Two IRA members were spotted while they were planting one of the three bombs they had and the alarm was raise by a sentry , Lance-Corporal Alan Norris . The two IRA members escaped with a stolen car they had hijacked just down the road , thanks to the sentry raising the alarm it gave about 50 British soldiers the chance to escape almost certain death but , only two soldiers were injured , one was hit by flying glass the other had only minor injuries . The two IRA bombers planted three bombs around the barracks . British police believe IRA fugitive Patrick Sheehy was the main operator in the attack . Only two of the bombs were primed and exploded , when the IRA members , both of whom were wearing combat jackets were approached by a soldier they threw the third bomb which was inside a backpack at him and ran to the car they had stolen and drove away . Soldiers fired three rounds at the IRA members who were fleeing but no shots hit their target . The bombs exploded about ten minutes after the IRA escaped . Even though nobody was killed in the attack the explosions caused large damage to the barracks
Brighton hotel bombing
Brighton hotel bombing
Clive Barracks bombing