576:
191:
leader had worked with loyalist paramilitaries only to distance himself from them when it became politically expedient. Under Andrew Park's leadership this relationship radically changed with the forming of the ULMC (Ulster
Loyalist Military Command) in which the Ulster Clubs played an integral part.
147:
John McMichael was enthusiastic about this development and urged support for the new movement, reasoning that if, as many loyalists suspected, a widespread confrontation was going to follow the agreement, then people who would not normally have joined paramilitary groups could be mobilised through
111:
on 1 November at which the formation of a more formalised arrangement, the Ulster Clubs, was announced. A network of clubs was to be established across
Northern Ireland with the aim, according to Ian S. Wood, of working to uphold "equal citizenship" and "fight the erosion of their Protestant
32:, the Ulster Clubs briefly mobilised wide support across Northern Ireland and sought to coordinate opposition to the development of closer relations between the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The group's motto was "hope for the best and prepare for the worst".
252:
Wright resigned from the leadership in 1989, claiming that he hoped to undertake study at Bible
College and, under new leadership of Andrew Park their policy changed radically to one advocating complete integration with the rest of the United Kingdom and a commitment to
249:. In October 1988 Wright was imprisoned for refusing to pay fines for traffic offences and public order transgressions, claiming that he was doing so as part of his protest against the agreement. By this point membership had fallen to an estimated 12,000.
220:
while travelling to work on 9 September 1988. Abernethy was a close friend of Andrew Park who became leader shortly after his murder. The Ulster Clubs also published a document advocating the establishment of a "Dominion of Ulster" within the
187:. In November 1986, Alan Wright spoke at the Ulster Hall rally that launched Ulster Resistance, although there were many within the Ulster Clubs who advised him against closely allying himself with Paisley, given that in the past the
139:. Andrew Park of Lisburn was deputy leader and took up the reins of the movement when Alan Wright was hospitalised and took over as leader when he resigned. Andrew Park later became deputy leader of the Progressive Unionist Party.
168:(RUC), a group he felt had been pitted against the unionist community as a result of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Wright echoed Patton's sentiments and even hinted that he would be prepared to fight the RUC and the
55:
areas of the town. This group was reconstituted as a wider umbrella movement, the United Ulster
Loyalist Front (UULF) not long after the Twelfth. Leadership of the group rested with Alan Wright, a member of the
112:
heritage". Before long 88 clubs had been established, with around 20,000 members listed as having joined. The new name was chosen in homage to a similarly titled network established by
107:
After an initial flurry of activity, the UULF, which was a loose alliance at best, ground to a halt. However, the movement was given a new lease of life when a meeting was held at the
123:
Wright hoped that the Ulster Clubs could organise a widespread campaign of civil disobedience that would make
Northern Ireland ungovernable and endorsed such initiatives as the
127:
and a Day of Action held on 3 March 1986, which featured mass protest marches and strike action. Individual members of the Ulster Clubs also became involved in
204:
as an alternative to unionism, given that many saw the Anglo-Irish
Agreement as a 'sell-out' by the Government of the state to which they claimed loyalty.
712:
216:
also emerged from within the clubs. The
Treasurer of the Ulster Clubs, Colin Abernethy, who was connected to Ulster nationalism, was killed by the
550:
697:
492:
128:
160:
and who saw the Ulster Clubs as a basis for a new armed group. Orange Order leader Joel Patton, who later came to prominence during the
241:
In 1988 the
British government began to move against the Ulster Clubs, punishing a number of members for various offences under the
645:
205:
707:
605:
555:
213:
131:'s ill-fated attempt to launch an "invasion" of southern Ireland on 7 August 1986, when he led a group of supporters into
124:
676:
254:
217:
485:
520:
180:
117:
61:
515:
540:
209:
157:
702:
478:
630:
565:
68:
545:
273:
188:
165:
164:, felt that the Ulster Clubs, which he helped to establish, could effectively take the place of the
91:
in opposition to the agreement. Those in attendance dressed in combat clothes with dark glasses and
595:
245:, whilst by that time leadership of the anti-Anglo-Irish Campaign had been secured by Paisley and
535:
525:
257:
as the norm. By the 1990s the Ulster Clubs had all but disappeared. The group no longer exists.
671:
96:
242:
226:
76:
222:
40:
The movement had its origins in the
Portadown Action Committee, a group established in the
8:
21:
501:
201:
451:
176:
161:
84:
80:
52:
75:
being appointed to the group's coordinating committee. Following the signing of the
560:
25:
462:
625:
610:
136:
650:
640:
72:
57:
691:
635:
600:
246:
230:
153:
113:
41:
575:
615:
169:
95:, indicating the support the group had secured from the UDA as well as the
48:
440:
44:
town during the middle of 1985 to oppose plans to reroute the traditional
620:
184:
149:
108:
45:
655:
590:
132:
92:
470:
29:
88:
71:(UDA) with South Belfast Brigade chief and UDA deputy leader
306:
Under Siege: Ulster
Unionism and the Anglo-Irish Agreement
28:
in November 1985. Emerging from an earlier group based in
148:
the Ulster Clubs. The clubs also attracted a hardcore of
200:
The Ulster Clubs also became influenced by the ideas of
67:The UULF was given the support of the paramilitary
402:Paisley: Religion and Politics in Northern Ireland
60:, whose policeman father had been murdered by the
175:The clubs also played a role in the formation of
142:
689:
551:Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee
486:
360:
358:
356:
179:in late 1986, fusing with elements of the "
493:
479:
350:1968-1003, Blackstaff Press, 1994, p. 326
342:
340:
338:
336:
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212:from within the Ulster Clubs, whilst the
353:
324:
322:
320:
318:
316:
314:
713:1985 establishments in Northern Ireland
404:, Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 240
348:Northern Ireland: A Political Directory
285:Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA
690:
556:Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
500:
331:
214:Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
172:to destroy the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
698:Political history of Northern Ireland
474:
311:
195:
268:Paisley: From Demagogue to Democrat?
521:New Ulster Political Research Group
346:W.D. Flackes & Sydney Elliott,
20:was the name given to a network of
13:
287:, Edinburgh University Press, 2006
208:was a member of and developed his
116:during the crisis surrounding the
14:
724:
218:Provisional Irish Republican Army
574:
463:Abstracts on Organisations – 'U'
125:mass resignation of Unionist MPs
87:, the UULF organised a rally in
456:
445:
434:
425:
416:
308:, Blackstaff Press, 1989, p. 74
260:
677:Ulster Workers' Council Strike
407:
394:
385:
376:
367:
298:
143:Relationship to paramilitarism
118:Government of Ireland Act 1914
102:
62:Irish National Liberation Army
1:
708:Ulster unionist organisations
516:British Ulster Dominion Party
291:
541:Ulster Independence Movement
210:Ulster Independence Movement
158:Ulster Protestant Volunteers
7:
156:, who were veterans of the
10:
729:
236:
69:Ulster Defence Association
35:
664:
583:
572:
546:Ulster Independence Party
508:
189:Democratic Unionist Party
166:Royal Ulster Constabulary
24:organisations founded in
452:Colin Abernethy obituary
566:Ulster Workers' Council
536:Ulster Democratic Party
526:Official National Front
183:" grouping promoted by
672:Repartition of Ireland
97:Ulster Volunteer Force
243:Public Order Act 1986
227:Ulster Unionist Party
77:Anglo-Irish Agreement
223:British Commonwealth
79:in November 1985 by
703:Ulster nationalism
502:Ulster nationalism
441:Ulster Nation FAQs
280:, Bloomsbury, 2000
202:Ulster nationalism
196:Ulster nationalism
51:parades away from
685:
684:
225:penned by future
177:Ulster Resistance
162:Drumcree conflict
85:Garret FitzGerald
81:Margaret Thatcher
720:
578:
561:Ulster Third Way
495:
488:
481:
472:
471:
465:
460:
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389:
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365:
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329:
326:
309:
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26:Northern Ireland
728:
727:
723:
722:
721:
719:
718:
717:
688:
687:
686:
681:
660:
631:Billy McFarland
626:Jackie McDonald
611:Kennedy Lindsay
579:
570:
504:
499:
469:
468:
461:
457:
450:
446:
439:
435:
430:
426:
421:
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413:Moloney, p. 312
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408:
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391:Moloney, p. 307
390:
386:
381:
377:
372:
368:
363:
354:
345:
332:
327:
312:
304:Arthur Aughey,
303:
299:
294:
270:, Poolbeg, 2008
263:
239:
198:
145:
137:County Monaghan
105:
38:
12:
11:
5:
726:
716:
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710:
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683:
682:
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679:
674:
668:
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665:Related topics
662:
661:
659:
658:
653:
651:Ray Smallwoods
648:
643:
641:John McMichael
638:
633:
628:
623:
618:
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512:
510:
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483:
475:
467:
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455:
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431:Taylor, p. 185
424:
415:
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393:
384:
375:
373:Taylor, p. 179
366:
364:Taylor, p. 180
352:
330:
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296:
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290:
289:
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281:
271:
262:
259:
238:
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197:
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152:, mainly from
144:
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129:Peter Robinson
104:
101:
73:John McMichael
58:Salvation Army
37:
34:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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669:
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649:
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644:
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639:
637:
636:John McKeague
634:
632:
629:
627:
624:
622:
619:
617:
614:
612:
609:
607:
604:
602:
601:Willie Frazer
599:
597:
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582:
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559:
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527:
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514:
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511:
509:Organisations
507:
503:
496:
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484:
482:
477:
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459:
453:
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437:
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403:
400:Steve Bruce,
397:
388:
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349:
343:
341:
339:
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323:
321:
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301:
297:
286:
283:Ian S. Wood,
282:
279:
275:
272:
269:
265:
264:
258:
256:
250:
248:
247:Jim Molyneaux
244:
234:
232:
231:David Trimble
228:
224:
219:
215:
211:
207:
203:
193:
190:
186:
182:
178:
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167:
163:
159:
155:
154:County Armagh
151:
140:
138:
134:
130:
126:
121:
119:
115:
114:Edward Carson
110:
100:
98:
94:
90:
86:
82:
78:
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70:
65:
63:
59:
54:
50:
47:
43:
42:County Armagh
33:
31:
27:
23:
19:
616:Tommy Lyttle
531:Ulster Clubs
530:
458:
447:
436:
427:
422:Wood, p. 133
418:
409:
401:
396:
387:
378:
369:
347:
305:
300:
284:
277:
274:Peter Taylor
267:
266:Ed Moloney,
261:Bibliography
251:
240:
199:
174:
170:British Army
150:evangelicals
146:
122:
106:
66:
49:Orange Order
39:
18:Ulster Clubs
17:
15:
621:W. F. McCoy
596:Paddy Duffy
382:Wood, p. 87
328:Wood, p. 84
255:direct rule
185:Ian Paisley
181:Third Force
109:Ulster Hall
103:Development
93:slouch hats
53:nationalist
692:Categories
656:Andy Tyrie
606:David Kerr
591:Glenn Barr
292:References
133:Clontibret
646:Hugh Ross
278:Loyalists
206:Hugh Ross
64:in 1979.
30:Portadown
22:Unionist
237:Decline
229:leader
99:(UVF).
89:Belfast
46:12 July
36:Origins
584:People
83:and
16:The
135:in
694::
355:^
333:^
313:^
276:,
233:.
120:.
494:e
487:t
480:v
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