Directory of the Northern Ireland Troubles

The following directory lists and provides links to articles about the Troubles.

Main articles

Paramilitaries

Laws in both the Republic of Ireland and the UK proscribe (ban) membership of a number of Irish republican and Ulster loyalist groups. Several other smaller paramilitary factions have appeared throughout the Troubles, and some groups have used cover-names to deflect responsibility for attacks.

In this context, operational refers to the period during which the 'official' paramilitary campaign was conducted.

Republicans

Umbrella groups

• Irish Republican Socialist Movement

Loyalists

Umbrella groups

• Ulster Army Council (UAC)
• Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee (ULCCC)
• Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC)

Periods of activity

In the table below:

• The period of activity for republican groups is shown in green.
• The period of activity for loyalist groups is shown in orange.
• The period of ceasefire is shown in grey.

State security forces

United Kingdom

• British Army
  • Territorial Army
  • Force Research Unit
• Royal Air Force
• Royal Navy
• Metropolitan Police
• MI5
• GCHQ
• Secret Intelligence Service

Northern Ireland

• Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
  • RUC Special Branch
• Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) – to 30 April 1970
• Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS)
• Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) – from 1 January 1970 to 30 June 1992
• Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) – from 1 July 1992

Republic of Ireland

• Irish Army
• An Garda Síochána (police)

Political parties

Listing includes brief summary of ideology and position on the Good Friday Agreement 1998.

Irish nationalist

Pro-Agreement

• Sinn Féin (SF). President: Gerry Adams. Militant nationalist. Associated with the Provisional IRA. Translation from Irish: "We Ourselves".
• The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). Leader: Colum Eastwood. Moderate centre-left nationalist.
• The Workers' Party (WP). President: Mick Finnegan. Marxist nationalist. Formerly Official Sinn Féin.

Anti-Agreement

• The Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP). Militant socialist nationalist. Political wing of INLA.
• Republican Sinn Féin (RSF). President: Des Dalton. Militant nationalist. Associated with the Continuity IRA.
• The 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM). President: Francis Mackey. Militant nationalist. Associated with the Real IRA.
• The Republican Network for Unity (RNU). Militant nationalist. Accused by Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) of being the political wing of Óglaigh na hÉireann (Real IRA splinter group), however this is rejected by both groups.

Unionist

Pro-Agreement

• The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Leader: Peter Robinson. Radical populist unionist. Originally anti-Agreement.
• The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Leader: Tom Elliott. Moderate conservative unionist.
• The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP). Leader: Billy Hutchinson. Moderate centre-left unionist. Political wing of Ulster Volunteer Force.
• The Conservative Party also organises and contests elections in Northern Ireland. Moderate unionist.

Anti-Agreement

• Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV). Leader: Jim Allister. Old school loyalist.

Other

• The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. Leader: David Ford. Liberal cross-community. Pro-Agreement
• The Green Party. Environmentalist. Pro-Agreement.
• Ulster Third Way. Supports Northern Ireland independence.

Political structures

Northern Ireland government

1921-1972

• Governor
• Prime Minister
• Cabinet

1998-

• First Minister and deputy First Minister
• Executive

Northern Ireland legislatures

1921-1972
The Parliament of Northern Ireland:

• House of Commons
• Senate

1972-1998

• The Northern Ireland Assembly (1973–1974)
• The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (1975–1976)
• The Northern Ireland Assembly (1982–1986)
• The Northern Ireland Forum (1996–1998)

1998-

• The Northern Ireland Assembly

Republic of Ireland government

• Taoiseach (prime minister)
• Department of Defence
• Department of Foreign Affairs
• Dáil Éireann (assembly)
• Seanad Éireann (senate)

United Kingdom government

• Prime Minister
• The Ministry of Defence (MOD)
• The Northern Ireland Office (NIO)
• The House of Commons
• The House of Lords
• The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (House of Commons)
• The Northern Ireland Grand Committee (House of Commons)

Peace process

Co-operative bodies

• British-Irish Council (BIC)
• British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body
• North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC)

Key steps in the peace process

• Sunningdale Agreement (1973)
• Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985)
• Downing Street Declaration (1993)
• Establishment of the IICD (1997)
• Belfast Agreement (1998)
• Amendment of Articles 2 and 3 (1999)
• Establishment of the Independent Monitoring Commission (2003)
• IRA ceasefire and decommissioning (2005)
• St Andrews Agreement (2006)

Cultural and religious organisations

Religious

• Roman Catholic Church in Ireland
• Church of Ireland (Anglican)
• Presbyterian Church in Ireland
• Methodist Church in Ireland
• Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster

Sporting

• The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)

Politico-religious fraternal organisations

Unionist/Protestant

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

Nationalist/Catholic

• The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH)