Four Major Loyalist Paramilitary Groups of the Troubles
The Troubles in Northern Ireland (late 1960s–1998) involved not only Republican paramilitaries like the IRA but also several Loyalist groups determined to keep Northern Ireland within the UK. The four major Loyalist groups were the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), and Red Hand Commando (RHC). The UVF, formed in 1965–66, was the most active, responsible for over 500 deaths. The UDA, formed in 1971 as an umbrella group, claimed up to 40,000 members and carried out sectarian killings under the cover name Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF). The LVF, founded in 1996 by Billy Wright after his expulsion from the UVF, killed at least 19 people before ceasing operations in 2005. The RHC, formed in 1970, was a small, secretive group closely linked to the UVF, officially responsible for 13 deaths. Loyalist groups collectively caused 29% of total Troubles casualties (1,073 deaths), with most violence occurring from the early 1990s until the Good Friday Agreement (1998). The UVF and RHC decommissioned weapons in June 2009; the UDA completed decommissioning in 2010.
Key facts
- Loyalist paramilitaries were responsible for 29% of Troubles deaths (1,073).
- The UVF was formed in 1965–66 and killed over 500 people.
- The UDA was formed in 1971 and claimed up to 40,000 members.
- The LVF was founded by Billy Wright in 1996 and ceased operations in 2005.
- The RHC was formed in 1970 and officially killed 13 people.
- The UVF bombed McGurk's Bar in 1971, killing 15 Catholics.
- The UDA attempted to assassinate Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (1981) and Gerry Adams (1984).
- The UVF and RHC decommissioned weapons in June 2009; the UDA in 2010.
Entities
Artists
- Gusty Spence
- Billy Wright
- Bernadette Devlin McAliskey
- Gerry Adams
- John Hume
- Margaret Thatcher
- Garret FitzGerald
- William Whitelaw
- Michael McGoldrick
- Robert Hamill
- Seán Brown
- James Morgan
- Bernadette Martin
- Alan Black
- Richard Hughes
- Leo Martin
- James Cromie
- Maria McGurk
- Patrick McCrory
- Sean McConville
- Anthony Coleman
- Joseph McAleese
Institutions
- Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
- Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
- Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)
- Red Hand Commando (RHC)
- Irish Republican Army (IRA)
- Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA)
- Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)
- Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)
- Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
- Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC)
- Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
- Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
- Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
- Sinn Féin
- Ulster Democratic Party (UDP)
- Orange Order
- Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR)
- Maze Prison
- Royal Victoria Hospital
- Queen's University
- British government
- United States government
- CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet)
- Sutton's Index of Deaths
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- Museum of Free Derry
- Imperial War Museums
- National Army Museum
- Kemper Art Museum
Locations
- Northern Ireland
- United Kingdom
- Belfast
- Derry/Londonderry
- Coalisland
- County Tyrone
- Portadown
- Whitecross
- South County Armagh
- Aghalee
- Aghagallon
- Shankill
- West Belfast
- East Belfast
- Sandy Row
- Newtownabbey
- County Down
- Castlederg
- County Donegal
- Republic of Ireland
- Louth
- County Kerry
- McGurk's Bar
- North Queen Street
- Great George's Street
- Ravenhill Avenue
- Crumlin Road
- Divis Street
- Falls Road
- Lower Shankill
- Shankill Road
- Free Derry Corner
- Bogside
- Kingsmill
- Maze Prison
- Royal Victoria Hospital