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Irish Political History series

Ulster Loyalism

Terminology Loyalism Unionism Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Ireland-up. ... Image File history File links Ulster_banner. ... Unionism, in Ireland, is a belief in the desirability of a full constitutional and institutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain based on the terms and order of government of the Act of Union 1800 which had merged both countries in 1801 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain... Key documents Belfast Agreement Government of Ireland Act 1920 Solemn League and Covenant Sunningdale Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (Irish: ), lesser known as the Belfast Agreement (Irish: ), and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. ... An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (this is its official short title; the formal citation is 10 & 11 Geo. ... The Ulster Covenant was signed by hundreds of thousands of men all over Ulster, Ireland, on and before September 28, 1912, in protest of a Home Rule bill introduced in that same year. ... The Sunningdale Agreement on December 9, 1973, was an attempt to end the Northern Ireland troubles by forcing unionists to share power with nationalists. ... Parties Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party Ulster Democratic Party Progressive Unionist Party The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. ... The Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) were a small unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) are a small political party from Northern Ireland. ... Paramilitaries Ulster Volunteer Force Ulster Defence Association Real Ulster Freedom Fighters Loyalist Volunteer Force Orange Volunteers Red Hand Commandos Red Hand Defenders Red Branch Knights Ulster Young Militants Combined Loyalist Military Command ULCCC Young Citizen Volunteers The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) is a Loyalist group in Northern Ireland. ... UFF redirects here; they are also the initials of the United Freedom Front, a radical left-wing organisation in the US. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is a loyalist paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland, outlawed as a terrorist group in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and which aim... The Real Ulster Freedom Fighters, otherwise known as the Real UFF (RUFF) is a loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland. ... The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) is a loyalist terrorist group in Northern Ireland which broke away from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was led by the late Billy Wright. ... The Orange Volunteers (OV) are a break-away Loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ... The Red Hand Commando are a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group closely linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force. ... The Red Hand Defenders (RHD) is a terrorist group formed in 1998 and composed largely of Protestant hardliners from loyalist groups observing a cease-fire. ... The Red Branch Knights were a semi-mythical group of warriors in ancient Ireland, associated with the legendary hero Cuchulainn -champion of hte province of Uladh (modern Ulster). ... UYM mural painted on Ulsters Freedom Corner, Newtownards Road, Belfast. ... The Combined Loyalist Military Command was an umbrella body for Loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland set up in the early 1990s. ... The Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee (ULCCC) was set up in 1974 in the aftermath of the Ulster Workers Council Strike, in order to facilitate meetings and policy co-ordination between the Ulster Workers Council, the loyalist paramilitaries and the political representatives of loyalism. ... The Young Citizen Volunteers is the youth section of the Ulster Volunteer Force, a paramilitary group. ... Other Organisations Loyalist Association of Workers Peep O'Day Boys Tara Ulster Political Research Group Ulster Resistance Ulster Workers Council The Loyalist Association of Workers (LAW) was a militant Unionist organisation in Northern Ireland that sought to mobilise trade union members in support of the Loyalist cause. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Tara was a loyalist movement in Northern Ireland that espoused a brand of evangelical Protestantism. ... The Ulster Political Research Group are an advisory body connected to the Ulster Defence Association, providing advice to them on political matters. ... Ulster Resistance was a paramilitary movement established by unionists in Northern Ireland on 10 November 1986 in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. ... The Ulster Workers Council was a Loyalist workers organisation set up in Northern Ireland in 1974 as a more formalised successor to the Loyalist Association of Workers. ... Cultural "The Twelfth" Apprentice Boys of Derry Orange Institution Royal Black Preceptory The Twelfth is an annual Protestant celebration on 12 July, originating in Ireland. ... Apprentice Boys of Derry Crest The Apprentice Boys Of Derry are a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership, founded in 1814. ... Orange parade in Glasgow (1 June 2003) The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland with lodges throughout the Commonwealth and in Canada and the United States. ... The Royal Black Institution, also known as the Royal Black Preceptory, or The Imperial Grand Black Chapter Of The British Commonwealth is a Protestant fraternal society. ... Songs Billy Boys Derry's Walls God Save the Queen The Sash The Billy Boys is a loyalist song from Glasgow, sung to the tune of Marching Through Georgia. ... Derrys Walls is a loyalist song sung in Scotland and Ireland. ... Publication of an early version in The Gentlemans Magazine, 15 October 1745. ... The Sash is an Irish Protestant ballad commemorating the Protestant victory in the Williamite war in Ireland in 1690-91. ... Symbols and Flags Coat of arms of Northern Ireland Orange order flag Red Hand of Ulster Ulster Banner Union Flag The Coat of Arms of Northern Ireland The Coat of Arms of Northern Ireland was granted to the Government of Northern Ireland in 1924, after the Irish Free State had separated from the United Kingdom. ... Orange parade in Glasgow (1 June 2003) The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland with lodges throughout the Commonwealth and in Canada and the United States. ... Red Hand redirects here. ... The Union Flag is flown from government buildings in Northern Ireland. ... Union Jack redirects here. ... Other movements & links Monarchy in the Irish Free State Irish Nationalism Irish republicanism Irish Unionism King George V, the first monarch to reign in the Irish Free State. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic, whether as a unitary state, a federal state or as a confederal arrangement. ... In the Irish context, Unionists form a group of largely (though not exclusively) Protestant people in Ireland, of all social classes, who wish to see the continuation of the Act of Union, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, under which the Northern Ireland provincial state created in...

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Raising loyalist flags is common in the summer

Ulster loyalism is a militant Unionist ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. Some individuals claim that that Ulster loyalists are working class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims.^[1] However, others, such as Garrett Fitzgerald, argue that loyalism is simply "loyalty to Ulster not to the Union with Britain and it is mis-described as unionism."^[2] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 832 KB) This is a man putting up Loyalist flags outside of the Braniel (Where the road leads to the carrigeway) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 832 KB) This is a man putting up Loyalist flags outside of the Braniel (Where the road leads to the carrigeway) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under... Unionism, in Ireland, is a belief in the desirability of a full constitutional and institutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain based on the terms and order of government of the Act of Union 1800 which had merged both countries in 1801 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... In the context of Irish politics, Unionists are people in Northern Ireland, who wish to see the continuation of the Act of Union 1800, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, under which Northern Ireland, created in that latter Act, remains part of the United Kingdom of Great... Garret FitzGerald (Irish name: Gearóid Mac Gearailt) (born February 9, 1926) was the seventh Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving two terms in office; July 1981 to February 1982, and December 1982 to March 1987. ...

Unionists support the continuation of Northern Ireland's membership in the United Kingdom and oppose joining the Republic of Ireland in a united Ireland. However, whilst some loyalist groups seek to maintain Northern Ireland's position within the UK they are not defined by this aim and some, such as the Ulster Defence Association, have openly supported the idea of Ulster independence. Unionists also believe in achieving their aims through purely constitutional means, but are willing to use violence to defend the constitutional process. However loyalists support the use of militant methods as the primary means to reject amalgamation with the Republic of Ireland. Consequently, anti-Unionists and anti-Loyalists frequently use the term loyalist to describe illegal paramilitary organisations. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... UFF redirects here; they are also the initials of the United Freedom Front, a radical left-wing organisation in the US. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is a loyalist paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland, outlawed as a terrorist group in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and which aim... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... The word militant has come to refer to any individual or party engaged in aggressive physical or verbal combat, normally for a cause. ... Paramilitary designates forces whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force, but which are not regarded as having the same status. ...

Upon Irish independence in 1921 — despite a majority of Irish people desiring a united Ireland — six of the nine counties in the province of Ulster were permitted to opt out of the independent Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland). These counties, four out of the six having Protestant majorities, remained a part of the United Kingdom. The other two Ulster counties also remained part of the UK, despite having narrow Irish nationalist majorities. Both unionist and nationalist communities have allowed or encouraged sectarianism among Protestants (associated with unionism) and Roman Catholics (associated with nationalism) to further political aims. Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... This article is about the prior state. ... Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Sectarianism refers (usually pejoratively) to a rigid adherence to a particular sect or party or religious denomination. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

The difference of opinion between Northern Ireland's Nationalist Catholic population (which mostly supports leaving the UK in favour of uniting with the Republic of Ireland) and its Protestant Unionist population (which mainly supports remaining as part of the United Kingdom) has led to a long-running bloody conflict known as The Troubles. However, the majority of people who live in the region do not support paramilitaries of any ideology. For other uses, see Troubles (disambiguation) and Trouble. ...

Political parties

• Progressive Unionist Party
• Ulster Democratic Party

Bigger parties like the Ulster Unionist or Democratic Unionist parties have actively sought to distance themselves from loyalist paramilitary activity. However, Ian Paisley and his Democratic Unionist Party have worked alongside loyalist paramilitary groups such as the UDA in the 1974 Ulster Workers Council strikes and the 1977 Loyalist Association of Workers strike. The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) are a small political party from Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) were a small unionist political party operating in 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. ... This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ... The Loyalist Association of Workers (LAW) was a militant Unionist organisation in Northern Ireland that sought to mobilise trade union members in support of the Loyalist cause. ...

Fraternities

• Orange Order
• Apprentice Boys of Derry
• Independent Orange Order

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. ... Apprentice Boys of Derry Crest The Apprentice Boys Of Derry are a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership, founded in 1814. ... The Independent Loyal Orange Institution was formed in 1903 by Tom Sloan and others, who had been expelled from the Orange Order when they voiced opposition to it being used for party political ends by Ulster Unionists. ...

Paramilitary groups

• Ulster Volunteer Force
• Ulster Defence Association
• Loyalist Volunteer Force
• Ulster Protestant Volunteers
• Orange Volunteers
• Red Hand Commandos
• Red Branch Knights
• Ulster Resistance

The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) is a Loyalist group in Northern Ireland. ... UFF redirects here; they are also the initials of the United Freedom Front, a radical left-wing organisation in the US. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is a loyalist paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland, outlawed as a terrorist group in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and which aim... The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) is a loyalist terrorist group in Northern Ireland which broke away from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was led by the late Billy Wright. ... A Loyalist paramilitary style grouping established in the late 1960s. ... The Orange Volunteers (OV) are a break-away Loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ... The Red Hand Commando are a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group closely linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force. ... The Red Branch Knights were a semi-mythical group of warriors in ancient Ireland, associated with the legendary hero Cuchulainn -champion of hte province of Uladh (modern Ulster). ... Ulster Resistance was a paramilitary movement established by unionists in Northern Ireland on 10 November 1986 in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. ...

Youth groups

• Ulster Young Militants
• Young Citizen Volunteers

UYM mural painted on Ulsters Freedom Corner, Newtownards Road, Belfast. ... The Young Citizen Volunteers is the youth section of the Ulster Volunteer Force, a paramilitary group. ...

Umbrella organisations

• Combined Loyalist Military Command
• Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee

The Combined Loyalist Military Command was an umbrella body for Loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland set up in the early 1990s. ... The Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee (ULCCC) was set up in 1974 in the aftermath of the Ulster Workers Council Strike, in order to facilitate meetings and policy co-ordination between the Ulster Workers Council, the loyalist paramilitaries and the political representatives of loyalism. ...

Other loyalist organisations

• Loyalist Association of Workers
• Tara (Northern Ireland)
• Ulster Political Research Group
• Ulster Workers Council

The Loyalist Association of Workers (LAW) was a militant Unionist organisation in Northern Ireland that sought to mobilise trade union members in support of the Loyalist cause. ... Tara was a loyalist movement in Northern Ireland that espoused a brand of evangelical Protestantism. ... The Ulster Political Research Group are an advisory body connected to the Ulster Defence Association, providing advice to them on political matters. ... The Ulster Workers Council was a Loyalist workers organisation set up in Northern Ireland in 1974 as a more formalised successor to the Loyalist Association of Workers. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Steve Bruce, The Red Hand: Protestant Paramilitaries in Northern Ireland, 1992
2. ^ Fergal Cochrane, Unionist Politics and the Politics of Unionism since the Anglo-Irish Agreement, 2001

Stephen Roger Bruce (born December 31, 1960, in Corbridge, near Hexham in England) is a British football manager currently in charge of Birmingham City. ...

External links

• Loyalist, Unionist and Protestant Resources
• Beyond Conflict - A South-East Antrim organization linked with the Ulster Defence Association
• Progressive Unionist Party - Centre-Left and Social Democratic Loyalist party linked with the Ulster Volunteer Force.
• English Loyalists
• Scottish Loyalists
• British Ulster Alliance
• Loyalist FM