A Look at Violence and Politics Through the Experience of the UVF Alec Chiquoine SIT Study Abroad
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SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Spring 2006 Out of the Darkness: A Look at Violence and Politics Through the Experience of the UVF Alec Chiquoine SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Recommended Citation Chiquoine, Alec, "Out of the Darkness: A Look at Violence and Politics Through the Experience of the UVF" (2006). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 361. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/361 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Out of the Darkness: A look at violence and politics through the experience of the UVF You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye. Who cheer when soldier lads pass by. Sneak home and pray you’ll never know the hell where youth and and laughter go. -Poem on a UVF mural in West Belfast Alec Chiquoine SIT Ireland Spring 2006 Dominic Bryan, Ph.D. Queen’s University Belfast Table of Contents Acknowledgment: 3 Foreword: 3-6 Methodology: 6-24 -Literature review: 6-11 -Personal Background and Personality 11-13 -Experiences 14 -The Interviews 15-21 -Miscellaneous important disclaimers 21-24 Introduction: 25-26 Body: 26-52 -History and timeline of the UVF 26-35 -Reasons for and criticisms of the UVF’s campaign of violence. 35-45 -The move from violence towards politics 45-55 Conclusion: 55-57 Appendixes: -Appendix A -Appendix B Bibliography: 3 Acknowledgements: This paper simply would not have been possible had it not been for the incredible generosity and helpfulness of others. I believe it is a testament to the character of the people of Northern Ireland and a tribute to their dedication to transforming and resolving the problems and conflicts which challenge them every day that they were so open with their time and opinions. I would like to thank the Sandy Row Orange Lodge, the Martyr’s Memorial Church and its entire congregation, EPIC and its staff, Dominic Bryan, Christopher Stalford, Roy Garland and the Sandy Row UUP office, David Ervine, Dawn Purvis, Tom Roberts, and Henry McDonald for their time and openness. I would like to extend a special thanks to particular members and elements of the UVF and its leadership for willingly giving me their perspective. Finally, I must give a very special thanks to Chris Hudson and the congregation of All Soul’s Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Belfast. The hospitality of the congregation was truly amazing, and the willingness of the members to “adopt” a student such as myself was fantastic. Without Chris Hudson, his time, and his patience, this project would not have been possible. I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. Foreword: The decision to undertake this specific project was relatively easy for me. I came to Ireland ready to learn more about the conflict, but quickly realized I hardly knew about, let alone understood, an entire element within it, that of the Loyalist paramilitaries. As I learned more through classes, lectures, and meeting individuals who had been involved with these groups, or had dealings with them, my knowledge grew along with 4 my curiosity. Who were these people who were so willing to fight, kill and die for a cause, the preservation of a union with Britain, which I found hard to understand? I also became interested in with the use of violence, rather than politics or non-violent means, to achieve a particular set of ends. Northern Ireland was a fully functioning government, a subset of the United Kingdom, one of the oldest and most successful political structures in history. Why then had Northern Ireland crumbled into a state of unbridled violence when political structures existed which seemed capable of creating such change while minimizing the loss involved? The act of questioning my expectations and preconceived notions has developed into a theme of my time in Ireland and Northern Ireland. To view these countries through textbooks, video, the media and occasional speakers is to receive only part of the story. However, I certainly formed opinions and pictures in my head in relationship to what I took to be the whole picture, as I am sure many others do. My time in Ireland and Northern Ireland has forced me to step back from what I believed to be “true” and take in often times conflicting information in an entirely new context which would challenge those old truths. As is so often the case, the truth is almost always more complicated than it seems. But this paper is not about the truth. I would be truly bold and more than a little rash to claim that in my short time studying violence in Northern Ireland as it related to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) I had some how stumbled across any truths, let alone the truth. What I have done, and what I set out to do, is compile together a set of experiences, opinions, and stories which all relate to the truth and recount personal truths. 5 I will also offer my own analysis of this compilation not in an attempt to prove anything conclusively, but to suggest and encourage that my work is but a tiny part of what has been done, and what must continue to be done, in the search for understanding Northern Ireland, the Troubles, the UVF, politics, and violence. It would be easy to simply pass judgment on a group such as the UVF, and dismiss, embrace, or ignore it accordingly. The actions of this group, especially to those from outside the Northern Ireland context, and especially the Loyalists communities from which many of its members come, are seemingly incomprehensible, selfish, selfless, cruel, kind, and immensely meaningful and meaningless almost simultaneously. What is created is whirlwind of confusion which further encourages one to simplify and generalize. However, such action prompts one to declare truths and make judgments in an attempt to slow the vortex of confusion. What should be remembered is that another method of examination and exploration exists. It is one which embraces this very confusion and heterogeneity by seeking to gather in the various parts for closer analysis in comparison to their partners. Although not easy, and seemingly against logic and nature at times, I do believe this process can lead to greater understanding and a better ability to draw conclusions which are well based and highly accurate. Only through such analysis and gathering the multitude of experiences and opinions can we hope to develop better understandings of such complex and changing, yet important topics. The reader should take this paper as an open invitation to criticize, challenge, confirm, accept, and/or deny any of what it contains. The only request I make is that it is approached with an open mind, and that the reader them self endeavors to find 6 the same understanding I am searching for in creating this work through similar methods. I hope to stay true to the same expectations and creed in my writing. Methodology: To give a cohesive and coherent account of this project and how I went about it is difficult to say the least. I had no real plan going in, and what I did have was quickly changed when I started. Perhaps more difficult is the fact that field study and experiential learning do not seem to lend themselves to structure and explanation at times. However, it is very important that any reader has an idea of what it was I was trying to do, how I went about it, and what the results were. Equally important is for me to have a chance to explain myself in these regards and caution the reader as to potential shortcomings, biases, missing information, and other facts which may effect one’s reading and understanding of the subject at hand. In the following section I will attempt to do this in as concise and understandable a manner as possible. Literary Overview The first step of my research was largely based in academic material. This was both intentional and a matter of convenience. Background information was essential before I could begin my interview process and would help me to get an idea of what organizations, individuals and areas I should investigate. Also, given that the start date of the project was Easter weekend, most individuals were on holiday, and the vast majority of organizations and groups were closed for several days. It was actually very difficult for the entire week following Easter to reach anyone in a formal setting as many were 7 still closed. The following is a brief review of the literary material I used for this project, its usefulness, and anything else I believe the reader should know about the source. UVF by John Cusack and Henry McDonald: This was my major introduction to the UVF and its history. Written by security correspondents and journalists the books offers an overview of the UVF as an organization and a detailed history of the group from its origins through the Troubles. It is primarily a historical account of the organization, with little critical analysis although there are some points where the authors offer their own viewpoints and analysis of particular events. As an introduction to the UVF as an organization, its key moments, and history, this book is invaluable. However, it should be noted that even the revised version, which I read, was published in 2000 and only really offers coverage of the group through the mid to late 1990s.