A hush falls over the men at the counter of Danny Molloy's pub in Ardoyne as the Sky News headlines flash across the giant screen in the corner.
"It's a disgrace," snorts Joe, a 28-year-old, into his pint glass of cider. "It's not going to happen. What are we expected to do? We have to defend the area. There are lot of people willing to do that. That's never going to stop."
Robbie, a 35-year-old bricklayer, disagrees loudly with him. "It was always going to happen. We've been heading that way for a long time. The leadership has made a point about what's best. We're confident about who we are, and where we're going."
Another patron of Molloy's, former hotel maintenance manager Harry McClafferty, aged 51, said the IRA statement was "a bunch of crap. A lot of good men who died would be turning in their graves, just like my stomach is turning over listening to this".
The IRA's announcement has provoked different responses across the republican heartlands of Belfast. Many committed members are still coming to terms with what the statement means, how far it will go, and the challenges they face. Others have accepted it with weary resignation.
Fr Gary Donegan, assistant superior at Holy Cross church, has seen the debate unfold. He is hopeful the IRA's decision is a significant turning point.
"There are huge challenges for a lot of people. I think most volunteers are going to accept the terms [ of the statement]. It's been broadly welcomed. There will always be a percentage of people who may not follow it. The biggest challenges are for those who had dedicated their lives to violent struggle who now face a difficult transition to ordinary life.
"It's a momentous time for them. They have put everything into the struggle. Everything else has come second: family, relationships," he says. "I think in general there is a cautious optimism about today's development, anything which reduces the possibility of violence and death has to be welcomed."
Over on the Falls Road, which is dotted with Free Seán Kelly posters, debate over the statement's significance is repeated.
Joe and Pat, a couple in their 60s who grew up on the Falls, disagree about whether the statement's principled words will be put into practice. "It seems very significant," says Joe. "It's almost too much to take in. I'm a Falls Road man all my life, I've seen a lot of change, but something like this" he says, his voice trailing off. "It will be followed through. The order has gone out, so anyone who gets out of line will be dealt with."
His wife, Pat, disagrees. While the days of bombings may be over, she says members of the IRA involved in criminal activity will never make the transition to regular life. "If anything it'll be worse, because something might have been sanctioned from on high before. Now you have all these individuals who'll be free to do their own thing." - (Additional reporting PA)
