The whole of Northern Ireland has, in some way, been caught up in the Troubles and subsequent peace process. While not a comprehensive guide, the following directory introduces the main players on the scene of its society. The Troubles is a term used to describe two periods of violence in Ireland during the twentieth century. ...

1. Cultural / Religious Groupings

Main Churches

• The Catholic Church
• The Church of Ireland (Protestant Anglican)
• The Presbyterian Church
• The Methodist Church

Protestant / Unionist The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. ... The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has a membership of 300,000 people in 650 congregations across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. ...

The Loyal Orders:

• The Apprentice Boys of Derry
• The Orange Order
• The Royal Black Institution

Catholic / Nationalist The Apprentice Boys Of Derry are a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership, founded in 1814. ... The Orange Order is a Protestant fraternal organisation largely based in the province of Northern Ireland and in western Scotland but which has a worldwide membership. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

• The Ancient Order of Hibernians
• The Gaelic Athletic Association

Shield of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) is an Irish-Catholic fraternal organization. ... The Gaelic Athletic Association (The GAA) (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael) is an organisation which is mostly focussed on promoting Irish sports, such as hurling and camogie, Gaelic football and handball, and rounders. ...

2. Political Parties

Listing includes brief summary of general policy outlook.

Nationalist / Republican

• Sinn Féin (SF) President: Gerry Adams. Militant nationalist. Often linked to the Provisional IRA. Translation from Irish: "We Ourselves."
• The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). Leader: Mark Durkan. Moderate centre-left nationalist.
• The Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP). Militant nationalist. Political wing of INLA.
• Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) President: Ruairi O'Bradaigh. Militant nationalist. Often linked to republican dissidents.
• The Workers Party (WP) President: Sean Garland. Marxist nationalist. Formerly Official Sinn Fein.

Unionist / Loyalist It has been suggested that Provisional Sinn Féin be merged into this article or section. ... Gerry Adams Gerry Adams MP, MLA, (born 6 October 1948) is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for West Belfast. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the RA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation dedicated to the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and to a United Ireland. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... John Mark Durkan (born 1960) is a Roman Catholic nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. ... Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) describes itself as a republican socialist party and claims to be both Marxist-Leninist and republican. ... The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed on December 8, 1974. ... Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) is a minor political party1 operating in Ireland. ... Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, born 1932 in County Longford, Ireland is the current President of Republican Sinn Féin. ... The Workers Party (in Irish Páirtí na nOibrithe) is an Irish left wing political party that evolved from Official Sinn Féin. ... Seán Garland (7 March 1934-) is president of the Workers Party of Ireland. ... Official Sinn Féin (aka Sinn Féin the Workers Party) evolved from the split in Sinn Féin and the IRA that took place in 1970. ...

• The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader: Ian Paisley. Radical populist unionist.
• The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Leader: Sir Reg Empey. Moderate conservative unionist.
• The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) Leader: David Ervine. Militant unionist. Political wing of UVF.
• The UK Unionist Party Leader: Robert McCartney. Moderate unionist. Supports greater integration with UK.
• The Conservative Party also organises and contests elections in Northern Ireland.

Other The Democratic Unionist Party is a right wing unionist party in Northern Ireland led by Ian Paisley. ... The Reverend and Right Honourable Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, MP, MLA (born 6 April 1926), also known as Dr. Ian Paisley, is a senior politician and church leader from Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party ) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland, which formed its government between 1921 and 1972 and was supported by most unionists throughout the Troubles. ... Sir Reginald Norman Morgan Empey (born on October 26, 1947) is a Northern Ireland politician and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Belfast. ... The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) are a small political party from Northern Ireland. ... David Ervine MLA (born July 21, 1953) is a Northern Ireland politician and the current leader of the Progressive Unionist Party. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a Northern Ireland loyalist paramilitary group. ... The UK Unionist Party (UKUP) is a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... Robert McCartney (born 1936) is a Northern Ireland unionist politician, and leader of the UK Unionist Party, and the only UKUP member of the currently-suspended Northern Ireland Assembly. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political brothel on the right-of-centre in the United Kingdom. ...

• The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland Leader: David Ford. Liberal cross-community.
• The Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (NIWC). Feminist.
• The Green Party. Environmentalist.

The British Labour Party accepts members from but does not organise in Northern Ireland. The Liberal Democrats are associated with the Alliance Party. Fianna Fáil, the largest party in Ireland, has recently opened a cumann in Derry, but has not contested elections in Northern Ireland since the 1930s. The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... for the Canadian Kayaker see David Ford (kayaker) for the English musician see David Ford (musician) David Ford is a Northern Ireland politician. ... The Northern Ireland Womens Coalition is a non-sectarian political party in Northern Ireland. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... The Green Party in Northern Ireland is a minor political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... Bold textHello ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party of the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; English translation: Soldiers of Ireland, but traditionally translated as Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in Ireland. ... A Cumann (pl: Cumainn) is the lowest local unit or branch of a number of Irish political parties. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ...

3. Security Forces

United Kingdom

• The British Army
• The Royal Air Force
• The Royal Navy

Northern Ireland The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...

• The Royal Ulster Constabulary (until November 4, 2001)
• The Police Service of Northern Ireland (after November 4, 2001)
• The Ulster Special Constabulary (until 1970)
• The Ulster Defence Regiment (until 1992)
• The Royal Irish Regiment (after 1992)

Republic of Ireland The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ... The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is the police service that covers Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) was a reserve force of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. ... The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. ... In the British Army, there have been two regiments titled the Royal Irish Regiment // Royal Irish Regiment The Royal Irish Regiment was formed in 1684 by the Earl of Granard from independent companies in Ireland. ...

• The Garda Síochána
• The Irish Army

Badge of the Garda Síochána. ... The Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces of the Republic of Ireland. ...

4. Paramilitary Groups

Membership of all the following groups is banned (proscribed) by law in both Ireland and the UK.

Republican

• The Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)
• Cumann na mBan
• Fianna na hEireann
• The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)
• The Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO)
• The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA)
• The Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA)
• Saor Eire

(see Irish Republican Army for a discussion of how some of these are related) The Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation (which supporters recognise as the National Army of the 32-County Irish Republic) that split from the Provisional IRA in 1986. ... Cumann na mBan, (the ‘League of Women’), was an Irish republican womens paramilitary organisation formed in April 1914 as an auxilliary of the Irish Volunteers (IV). ... Fianna Éireann (Irish: Warriors of Ireland, named after the mythological Fianna) is an Irish republican youth movement. ... The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed on December 8, 1974. ... The Irish Peoples Liberation Organisation was an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed in 1986 by disaffected and expelled members of the Irish National Liberation Army in the aftermath of the supergrass trials. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the RA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation dedicated to the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and to a United Ireland. ... The Real Irish Republican Army, otherwise known as the Real IRA, is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation founded before the signing of the 1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement by former members of the Provisional IRA who opposed the latters 1997 cease-fire and acquiescence in the Agreement in the... Saor Éire (meaning Free Ireland) was a left-wing political organisation established in September 1931 by communist-leaning members of the Irish Republican Army, with the backing of the IRA leadership. ... The West Cork Flying Column during the War of Independence. ...

Loyalist

• The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)
• The Orange Volunteers
• The Red Hand Commando
• The Red Hand Defenders
• The Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
• The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
• The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)