Background
His father, Ronald Bunting, had been a major in the British Army and Ronnie grew up in various military barracks around the world.
His father, Ronald Bunting, had been a major in the British Army and Ronnie grew up in various military barracks around the world.
Having completed his education and graduating from Queen"s University Belfast, Ronnie Bunting briefly became a history teacher in Belfast, but later become involved in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association and then with Irish republican organisations.
He became leader of the INLA in 1978 and was assassinated in 1980. Bunting joined the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) around 1970 as he was attracted to their left-wing and secular interpretation of Irish republicanism and believed in the necessity of armed revolution. The other wing of the Ireland Republican Army - the Provisional Irish Republican Army - was seen to be more Catholic and nationalist in its outlook.
At this time, the communal conflict known as the Troubles was beginning and the Official Ireland Republican Army were involved in shootings and bombings.
Bunting was interned in November 1971 and held in Long Kesh until the following April (see also Operation Demetrius). In 1974, Bunting followed Seamus Costello and other militants who disagreed with the OIRA"s ceasefire of 1972, into a new grouping, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA).
Immediately, a violent feud broke out between the OIRA and the INLA that simmered until 1977. Costello was killed in 1977 by an OIRA gunman in Dublin.
Bunting was hit in the neck by a rifle bullet while driving in Belfast.
lieutenant is not clear whether the bullet was fired by the British Army, loyalists or rival republicans. In any case, Bunting and his family hid in Wales until 1978, when he returned to Belfast. Foreign the remaining two years of his life, Bunting was the military leader of the INLA. The grouping regularly attacked the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Belfast.
Bunting called in claims of responsibility to the media by the code name "Captain Green".
The attack was claimed by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) but the INLA claimed the Special Air Service were involved. Upon his death, Bunting"s body was kept in a funeral parlour on the Newtownards Road opposite the headquarters of the UDA. On the day of the funeral, as the coffin was being removed, UDA members jeered from their building.