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89-677: The movement had its origins in the Portadown Action Committee, a group established in the County Armagh town during the middle of 1985 to oppose plans to reroute the traditional 12 July Orange Order parades away from nationalist 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

178-567: A Lieutenancy area – the county retains a lord lieutenant who acts as representative of the British Monarch in the county. Currently the county is covered for local government purposes by three district councils , namely Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council , approximately the western third of Newry, Mourne and Down Council and a part of Mid Ulster District Council , centred around Peatlands Park . Armagh ceased to serve as an electoral constituency in 1983 but remains

267-746: A by-election to the Northern Ireland Parliament , Paisley, standing on behalf of the Protestant Unionist Party , won the Bannside seat formerly held by Prime Minister Terence O'Neill. Another PUP candidate, William Beattie , won the South Antrim seat. In the 1970 UK general election , Paisley won the North Antrim seat. These elections were "further evidence of the break-up of the unionist block and

356-475: A civil rights march in Armagh , Paisley and Ronald Bunting arrived in the town in a convoy of cars. Men armed with nail-studded cudgels emerged from the cars and took over the town centre to prevent the march. The RUC halted the civil rights march, sparking outrage from activists. On 25 March 1969, Paisley and Bunting were jailed for organising the illegal counter-demonstration. On 6 May, they were released during

445-771: A commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . Paisley set up his own newspaper in February 1966, the Protestant Telegraph , as a mechanism for further spreading his message. In the 1960s, Paisley developed a relationship with the fundamentalist Bob Jones University located in Greenville, South Carolina . In 1966, he received an honorary doctorate of divinity from the institution and subsequently served on its board of trustees. This relationship would later lead to

534-650: A compromise with the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). The attempt was made via then British Cabinet Secretary, Sir Burke Trend . The papers show that Paisley had indicated he could "reach an accommodation with leaders of the Catholic minority, which would provide the basis of a new government in Stormont." It appears that the move was rejected once it became clear to the SDLP that it would have created

623-794: A crowd of followers that "this Romish man of sin is now in Hell !". He organised protests against the lowering of flags on public buildings to mark the Pope's death. In 1988, having given advance warning of his intentions, Paisley interrupted a speech being delivered by Pope John Paul II in the European Parliament . Paisley shouted "I denounce you as the Antichrist !" and held up a poster reading "Pope John Paul II ANTICHRIST" . Other MEPs jeered Paisley, threw papers at him and snatched his poster, but he produced another and continued shouting. He

712-684: A defiance of lawful authority no less serious in essence than that of the IRA". On 22 July 1966, Paisleyites clashed with the RUC outside Crumlin Road Prison , where Paisley was being held. The next day, Protestant mobs several thousand strong "rampaged through the city, smashing windows and trying to damage businesses owned by Catholics". In response, the authorities banned all meetings and marches in Belfast for three months. On 30 November 1968, hours before

801-627: A general amnesty for people convicted of political offences. In March–April 1969, the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV) bombed water and electricity installations in Northern Ireland, leaving much of Belfast without power and water. Paisley and the UPV blamed the bombings on the dormant IRA and elements of the civil rights movement. Paisley's Protestant Telegraph called them "the first act of sabotage perpetrated by

890-643: A large group of followers who were referred to as Paisleyites. Paisley became involved in Ulster unionist / loyalist politics in the late 1950s. In the mid-late 1960s, he led and instigated loyalist opposition to the Catholic civil rights movement in Northern Ireland. This contributed to the outbreak of the Troubles in the late 1960s, a conflict that would engulf Northern Ireland for the next 30 years. In 1970 he became Member of Parliament for North Antrim and

979-407: A majority of the population from a Catholic background, according to the 2011 census . During the 17th and 18th centuries, County Armagh was a major center of guerrilla warfare , cattle raiding , and brigandage by local Rapparees ; including Count Redmond O'Hanlon , Cormacke Raver O'Murphy, and Séamus Mór Mac Murchaidh . The southern part of the county has been a stronghold of support for

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1068-571: A meeting was held at the Ulster Hall 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 heritage". Before long 88 clubs had been established, with around 20,000 members listed as having joined. The new name

1157-595: A reading of 31.4 °C was registered at Armagh Observatory's weather station. Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid (also known as Voluntii, Ultonians, Ulidians, Ulstermen) before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch , whose capital was Emain Macha (or Navan Fort) near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha . The Red Branch play an important role in

1246-571: A standstill. Loyalist paramilitaries helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads and intimidating workers. On 17 May, the third day of the strike, loyalists detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan , in the Republic of Ireland. The bombs killed 33 civilians and injured 300, making it the deadliest attack of the Troubles, and the deadliest terrorist attack in the Republic's history. In an interview nine months before his death, Paisley said he

1335-401: A very one-sided alliance. Speaking about the deal in 2002 Paisley said: The SDLP did not want to go along the road that we would have wanted them to go. I wouldn't say there were talks, there was an exchange of views between us, but it never got anywhere. We were prepared to try and seek a way whereby we could govern Northern Ireland and that people of both faiths could be happy with the way it

1424-480: Is a Free Presbyterian minister; Ian was a DUP MP ; and Rhonda, a retired DUP councillor. He had a brother, Harold, who is also an evangelical fundamentalist. Paisley saw himself primarily as an Ulsterman . However, despite his hostility towards Irish republicanism and the Republic of Ireland , he also saw himself as an Irishman and said that "you cannot be an Ulsterman without being an Irishman". When he

1513-687: Is a possible railway re-opening from Portadown railway station to Armagh railway station in the future. Government Minister for the Department for Regional Development , Danny Kennedy MLA indicates railway restoration plans of the line from Portadown to Armagh . Ulsterbus provides the most extensive public transport system within the county, including frequent bus transfers daily from most towns to Belfast. Northern Ireland Railways / Iarnród Éireann 's Enterprise service provides connections to Dublin in little over an hour and Belfast in little over forty minutes, several times daily. County Armagh

1602-679: Is a terrible step to the total demoralisation of any country". Save Ulster from Sodomy was a campaign launched by Paisley in 1977, in opposition to the Northern Ireland Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform, established in 1974. Paisley's campaign sought to prevent the extension to Northern Ireland of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 , which had decriminalised homosexual acts between males over 21 years of age in England and Wales. Paisley's campaign failed when legislation

1691-550: Is named after its county town , Armagh , which derives from the Irish Ard Mhacha , meaning "Macha's height". Macha was a sovereignty goddess in Irish mythology and is said to have been buried on a wooded hill around which the town of Armagh grew. County Armagh is colloquially known as the "Orchard County" because of its many apple orchards. The county covers an area of 1,327 km (512 sq mi), making it

1780-472: Is not infrequent in the months November to February. Snow rarely lies for longer than a few hours even in the elevated south-east of the county. Summers are mild and wet and although with sunshine often interspersed with showers, daylight lasts for almost 18 hours during high-summer. On 22 July 2021 the record for highest outside air temperature ever measured in Northern Ireland was set in Armagh City when

1869-466: Is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland . It is located in the province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh . It borders the Northern Irish counties of Tyrone to the west and Down to the east. The county borders Louth and Monaghan to the south and southwest, which are in the Republic of Ireland . It

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1958-682: Is traversed by the Ulster Canal and the Newry Canal which are not fully open to navigation. In association football, the NIFL Premiership , which operates as the top division, has one team in the county: Glenavon , with Portadown , Annagh United , Armagh City , Dollingstown , Loughgall and Lurgan Celtic competing in the NIFL Championship , which operates as levels two and three. The Armagh County Board of

2047-766: Is traversed by two major highways – the M1 linking Belfast to Dungannon crosses the north of the county whilst the A1/N1 from Belfast to Dublin runs in the far south east. Other major roads in the county include the A3 and A29 . Armagh once had a well-developed railway network with connections to, among others, Armagh City, Culloville , Goraghwood , Markethill , Vernersbridge , Tynan (see History of rail transport in Ireland ) but today only Newry (Bessbrook) , Portadown , Poyntzpass , Scarva , and Lurgan are served by rail. There

2136-499: Is unworkable and destroys the very principle of my Unionism, which is that we are part of the UK and cannot in any way bring into government those who want to destroy Northern Ireland. In one interview during the referendum campaign following the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement , he declared that he was 'opposed to power-sharing with nationalists because nationalists are only power-sharing to destroy Northern Ireland' clearly meaning

2225-477: The August 1969 riots . The 1969 Northern Ireland riots , Divis Street were the worst in Belfast since the 1930s. Catholic Irish nationalists clashed with the police and with loyalists, who invaded Catholic neighbourhoods and burned scores of homes and businesses. This led to the deployment of British troops and is seen by many as the beginning of the Troubles. Journalists Patrick Bishop and Eamonn Mallie said of

2314-616: The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2008. Paisley became a Protestant evangelical minister in 1946 and remained one for the rest of his life. In 1951 he co-founded the Reformed fundamentalist Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster and was its leader until 2008. Paisley became known for his fiery sermons and regularly preached anti-Catholicism , anti- ecumenism and against homosexuality . He gained

2403-559: The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster , with Paisley, who was just 25 years old at the time. Paisley soon became the leader (or moderator ) of the Free Presbyterian Church and was re-elected every year, for the next 57 years. The Free Presbyterian Church is a fundamentalist , evangelical church, requiring strict separation from "any church which has departed from the fundamental doctrines of

2492-499: The Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA organises Gaelic games in the county. 54°21′00″N 6°39′17″W  /  54.3499°N 6.6546°W  / 54.3499; -6.6546 Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside , PC (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of

2581-749: The IRA , earning it the nickname "Bandit Country". South Armagh is predominantly nationalist , with much of the population being opposed to any form of British presence, especially that of a military nature. The most prominent opposition to British rule was the Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade . On 10 March 2009, the CIRA claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of a PSNI officer in Craigavon , County Armagh—the first police fatality in Northern Ireland since 1998. The officer

2670-693: The Republic of Ireland in Northern Irish affairs. His efforts helped bring down the Sunningdale Agreement of 1974. He also opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985, with less success. His attempts to create a paramilitary movement culminated in Ulster Resistance . Paisley and his party also opposed the Northern Ireland peace process and Good Friday Agreement of 1998. In 2005, Paisley's DUP became

2759-564: The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) did not remove the tricolour he would lead a march to the office and take it down himself. The Flags and Emblems Act banned the public display of any symbol, with the exception of the Union Flag , that could cause a breach of the peace. In response, armed officers arrived at the building, smashed their way inside and seized the flag. This led to severe rioting between republicans and

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2848-714: The Ulster Cycle , as well as the Cattle Raid of Cooley . However, they were eventually driven out of the area by the Three Collas, who invaded in the 4th century and held power until the 12th. The Clan Colla ruled the area known as Airghialla or Oriel for these 800 years. The chief Irish clans of the county were descendants of the Collas, the O'Hanlons and Mac Cana , and the Uí Néill , the O'Neills of Fews. Armagh

2937-607: The Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV). At the time, Irish republicans were marking the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising . Although the IRA was inactive, loyalists such as Paisley warned that it was about to be revived and launch another campaign against Northern Ireland. At the same time, a loyalist paramilitary group calling itself the " Ulster Volunteer Force " (UVF) emerged in the Shankill area of Belfast, led by Gusty Spence . Many of its members were also members of

3026-457: The Ulster Protestant Volunteers 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 Drumcree conflict , felt that the Ulster Clubs, which he helped to establish, could effectively take the place of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), a group he felt had been pitted against the unionist community as a result of

3115-728: The Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) to mobilise loyalist workers against the Agreement, while the loyalist paramilitary groups ( UDA , UVF etc.) formed the Ulster Army Council (UAC) to co-ordinate their response. Addressing an anti-Agreement rally in January 1974, Paisley declared: Mr Faulkner says it's 'hands across the border' to Dublin. I say if they don't behave themselves in the South , it will be shots across

3204-1049: The 2021 Census, County Armagh recorded a population of 194,394. It is one of four counties in Northern Ireland with a Catholic majority, with 58% of the population coming from a Catholic community background. Around 10% of the population was born outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, mainly immigrants from the European Union and concentrated in the Craigavon urban area ( Lurgan , Portadown and Craigavon ). (population of 18,000 or more and under 75,000 at 2001 Census) (population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2001 Census) (population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2001 Census) (population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2001 Census) (population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census) (population of fewer than 1,000 at 2001 Census) Baronies Parishes Townlands County Armagh

3293-564: The Agreement. Specifically, they opposed sharing political power with nationalists and saw the Council of Ireland as a step towards a united Ireland . Paisley, along with anti-Agreement Ulster Unionist Party leader Harry West and Ulster Vanguard leader William Craig , formed the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) to oppose the Agreement. Its slogan was Dublin is just a Sunningdale away . Loyalists formed

3382-664: The Anglo-Irish Agreement. Wright echoed Patton's sentiments and even hinted that he would be prepared to fight the RUC and the British Army to destroy the Anglo-Irish Agreement. The clubs also played a role in the formation of Ulster Resistance in late 1986, fusing with elements of the " Third Force " grouping promoted by Ian Paisley . In November 1986, Alan Wright spoke at the Ulster Hall rally that launched Ulster Resistance, although there were many within

3471-648: The Bible, expose the Papacy, and to promote, defend and maintain Bible Protestantism in Europe and further afield." Paisley's website describes a number of doctrinal areas in which he believes that the "Roman church" (which he termed 'Popery') has deviated from the Bible and thus from true Christianity. Over the years, Paisley would write numerous books and pamphlets on his religious and political views, including

3560-440: The British government began to move against the Ulster Clubs, punishing a number of members for various offences under the Public Order Act 1986 , whilst by that time leadership of the anti-Anglo-Irish Campaign had been secured by Paisley and Jim Molyneaux . 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

3649-614: The IRA since the murderous campaign of 1956", warning that it was "an ominous indication of what lies ahead for Ulster". Many people believed these claims of IRA responsibility. The loyalists also hoped that the bombings would weaken confidence in Prime Minister Terence O'Neill. Unionist support for O'Neill waned, and on 28 April he resigned as Prime Minister. Paisley's approach led him, in turn, to oppose O'Neill's successors as Prime Minister, Major James Chichester-Clark (later Lord Moyola) and Brian Faulkner . The civil rights campaign, and attacks on it by loyalists and police, culminated in

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3738-455: The Progressive Unionist Party. 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 the Ulster Clubs. The clubs also attracted a hardcore of evangelicals , mainly from County Armagh , who were veterans of

3827-405: The RUC. Thirty people, including at least 18 officers, had to be hospitalised. In 1964, a peaceful civil rights campaign began in Northern Ireland. The civil rights movement sought to end discrimination against Catholics and those of Catholic background by the Protestant and unionist government of Northern Ireland . Paisley instigated and led loyalist opposition to the civil rights movement over

3916-407: The SDLP as well as Sinn Féin. The Sunningdale Agreement of December 1973 set up a new government for Northern Ireland in which unionists and nationalists would share power. It also proposed the creation of a Council of Ireland, which would facilitate co-ordination and co-operation between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Paisley and other hardline unionists opposed

4005-406: The UCDC and UPV, including UCDC secretary and UPV leader Noel Doherty. Paisley publicly thanked the UVF for taking part in a march on 7 April. Paisley forced the Stormont government to mobilise B-Specials for the entire month of April with the hope of outlawing public commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising . Paisley failed in this objective but did succeed in pressuring

4094-423: The UPA increasingly came to focus on the defence of 'Bible Protestantism' and Protestant interests where jobs and housing were concerned. The UPA also campaigned against the allocation of public housing to Catholics. As Paisley came to dominate UPA, he received his first convictions for public order offences. In June 1959, Paisley addressed a UPA rally in the mainly-Protestant Shankill district of Belfast. During

4183-419: The UULF organised a rally in Belfast in opposition to the agreement. Those in attendance dressed in combat clothes with dark glasses and slouch hats , indicating the support the group had secured from the UDA as well as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). 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

4272-410: The Ulster Clubs also became involved in Peter Robinson 's ill-fated attempt to launch an "invasion" of southern Ireland on 7 August 1986, when he led a group of supporters into Clontibret in County Monaghan . 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

4361-480: The Ulster Clubs who advised him against closely allying himself with Paisley, given that in the past the Democratic Unionist Party 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. The Ulster Clubs also became influenced by

4450-470: The Ulster Clubs, Colin Abernethy, who was connected to Ulster nationalism, was killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army 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 British Commonwealth penned by future Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble . In 1988

4539-432: The Word of God." At the time of the 1991 census , the church had about 12,000 members, less than 1 per cent of the Northern Ireland population . Paisley promoted a highly conservative form of Biblical literalism and anti-Catholicism , which he described as "Bible Protestantism". The website of Paisley's public relations arm, the European Institute of Protestant Studies , describes the institute's purpose as to "expound

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4628-563: The agreement. By this point membership had fallen to an estimated 12,000. 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 direct rule as the norm. By the 1990s the Ulster Clubs had all but disappeared. The group no longer exists. County Armagh County Armagh ( Irish : Contae Ard Mhacha [ɑːɾˠd̪ˠ ˈwaxə] )

4717-465: The border! On 15 May 1974, the UWC called a general strike aimed at bringing down the Agreement and the new government. A co-ordinating committee was set up to help organise the strike. It included Paisley and the other UUUC leaders, the leaders of the UWC, and the heads of the loyalist paramilitary groups. Its chairman was Glenn Barr , a high-ranking member of Ulster Vanguard and the UDA. In its first meeting, Barr arrived late and found Paisley sitting at

4806-407: The capital of the Ulaid kings (who give their name to Ulster ) and is believed to be the high place from which the county takes its name. From its highest point at Slieve Gullion , in the south of the county, Armagh's land falls away from its rugged south with Carrigatuke, Lislea and Camlough mountains, to rolling drumlin country in the middle and west of the county and finally flatlands in

4895-445: The city of Newry , notable towns in the county include Lurgan , Portadown and Craigavon . The name Armagh derives from the Irish Ard Macha , meaning Macha's height / Macha's high place . Macha is a mythological figure who is mentioned in The Book of the Taking of Ireland . Macha is also said to have been responsible for the construction of the hill site of Emain Macha (now Navan Fort near Armagh City ) to serve as

4984-520: The core of the Newry and Armagh constituency represented at Westminster and the Newry and Armagh constituency represented in the Northern Ireland Assembly . County Armagh also remains as a district for legal and property purposes; however, its baronies no longer have any administrative use. The -XZ suffix is currently used on vehicle registration plates for vehicles registered in County Armagh. Other suffixes have been -IB and -LZ. These marks are followed by up to four numbers, e.g., JLZ 6789 As of

5073-450: The county's northern boundary. There are also a number of uninhabited islands in the county's section of Lough Neagh: Coney Island Flat, Croaghan Flat, Padian, Phil Roe's Flat and the Shallow Flat. Despite lying in the east of Ireland, Armagh enjoys an oceanic climate strongly influenced by the Gulf Stream with damp mild winters, and temperate, wet summers. Overall temperatures rarely drop below freezing during daylight hours, though frost

5162-553: The death of the Pope and we would want in no way to interfere with their expression of sorrow and grief at this time." Paisley and his followers also protested against what they saw as instances of blasphemy in popular culture, including the stage productions Jesus Christ Superstar and Jerry Springer: The Opera , as well as being strongly anti-abortion . Paisley preached against homosexuality, supported laws criminalising it and picketed various gay rights events. He denounced it as "a crime against God and man and its practice

5251-413: The establishment of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America in 1977. His honorary doctorate, along with his political obstinacy, led to Paisley's nickname of "Dr. No". When Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother met Pope John XXIII in 1958, Paisley condemned them for "committing spiritual fornication and adultery with the Antichrist ". When Pope John died in June 1963, Paisley announced to

5340-416: The following year he founded the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which he would lead for almost 40 years. In 1979 he became a Member of the European Parliament . Throughout the Troubles, Paisley was seen as a firebrand and the face of hardline unionism. He opposed all attempts to resolve the conflict through power-sharing between unionists and Irish nationalists / republicans , and all attempts to involve

5429-453: The government to ban trains from the Republic transporting people to Northern Ireland for the ceremonies. In May and June, the UVF petrol bombed a number of Catholic homes, schools and businesses. It also shot dead two Catholic civilians as they walked home. These are sometimes seen as the first deaths of the Troubles . Following the killings, the UVF was outlawed and Paisley denied any knowledge of its activities. One of those convicted for

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5518-491: The group rested with Alan Wright, a member of the Salvation Army , whose policeman father had been murdered by the Irish National Liberation Army in 1979. The UULF was given the support of the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association (UDA) with South Belfast Brigade chief and UDA deputy leader John McMichael being appointed to the group's coordinating committee. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in November 1985 by Margaret Thatcher and Garret FitzGerald ,

5607-443: The head of the table. Barr told him "you might be chairman of the Democratic Unionist Party but I'm chairman of the co-ordinating committee, so move over". Paisley moved from the head of the table but carried the chair away with him and the two argued over the chair itself, with Paisley eventually allowed to keep it as he claimed to need a chair with arms due to back pain. The strike lasted fourteen days and brought Northern Ireland to

5696-400: The ideas of Ulster nationalism 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. Hugh Ross was a member of and developed his Ulster Independence Movement from within the Ulster Clubs, whilst the Ulster Movement for Self-Determination also emerged from within the clubs. The Treasurer of

5785-404: The killings said after his arrest "I am terribly sorry I ever heard of that man Paisley or decided to follow him". Paisley would later establish two other paramilitary groups: Third Force in 1981 and Ulster Resistance in 1986. On 6 June 1966, Paisley led a march to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church against what he claimed to be its "Romeward trend". The authorities allowed

5874-548: The largest unionist party in Northern Ireland, displacing the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which had dominated unionist politics since 1905 and had been an instrumental party in the Good Friday Agreement. In 2007, following the St Andrews Agreement , the DUP finally agreed to share power with republican party Sinn Féin . Paisley and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness became First Minister and deputy First Minister , respectively, in May 2007. He stepped down as First Minister and DUP leader in mid-2008, and left politics in 2011. Paisley

5963-413: The marchers to go through the Catholic Cromac Square neighbourhood carrying placards with anti-Catholic slogans. Catholic youths attacked the march and clashed with the RUC. Many were injured and cars and businesses were wrecked. Following the riots, Paisley was charged with unlawful assembly and sentenced to three months in prison. The Belfast Telegraph declared that Paisley's organisations "represent

6052-426: The next few years. He also led opposition against Terence O'Neill , Prime Minister of Northern Ireland . Although O'Neill was also unionist, Paisley and his followers saw him as being too 'soft' on the civil rights movement and opposed his policies of reform and reconciliation. In April 1966, Paisley and his associate Noel Doherty founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC) and its paramilitary wing,

6141-426: The north where rolling flats and small hills reach sea level at Lough Neagh . County Armagh's boundary with Louth is marked by the rugged Ring of Gullion rising in the south of the county whilst much of its boundary with counties Monaghan and Down goes unnoticed with seamless continuance of drumlins and small lakes. The River Blackwater marks the border with County Tyrone and Lough Neagh otherwise marks out

6230-538: The rioting in Belfast: "Both communities were in the grip of a mounting paranoia about the other's intentions. Catholics were convinced that they were about to become victims of a Protestant pogrom ; Protestants that they were on the eve of an IRA insurrection". After the riots, Paisley is reported to have said: Catholic homes caught fire because they were loaded with petrol bombs; Catholic churches were attacked and burned because they were arsenals and priests handed out sub-machine guns to parishioners. On 16 April 1970, in

6319-448: The same united Ireland road as Sinn Fein, so they are fellow travellers. We will be taking on the Sinn Fein frontmen for the IRA and are determined to smash them at the polls. Speaking at the launch of the DUP's policy proposals for devolved government for the briefly revived Northern Ireland Assembly in September 1984, Paisley echoed the document's position on power-sharing with the SDLP: I am totally opposed to power-sharing because it

6408-684: The seat no. 666 in the European Parliament is reserved for the Antichrist. Paisley continued to denounce the Catholic Church and the Pope after the incident. In a television interview for The Unquiet Man , a 2001 documentary on Paisley's life, he expressed his pride at being "the only person to have the courage to denounce the Pope". However, after the death of Pope John Paul in 2005, Paisley expressed sympathy for Catholics, saying "We can understand how Roman Catholics feel at

6497-418: The smallest of Northern Ireland's six counties by size and the sixth-smallest county on the island of Ireland. With a population of 194,394 as of the 2021 census , it is the fourth-most populous county in both Northern Ireland and Ulster. It is the 10th most populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties, as well as the fifth-most densely populated. In addition to the city of Armagh and the western portion of

6586-442: The speech, he shouted out the addresses of some Catholic-owned homes and businesses in the area. These homes and businesses were then attacked by the crowd; windows were smashed, shops were looted and " Taigs out" painted on the doors. During the 1964 UK general election campaign, an Irish republican candidate displayed an Irish tricolour from the window of his office in a republican area of Belfast. Paisley threatened that if

6675-635: The successful Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidate in Belfast West , the Church of Ireland minister James Godfrey MacManaway . Independent Unionist MP Norman Porter came to lead the National Union of Protestants, while Paisley became treasurer, but Paisley left after Porter refused to join the Free Presbyterian Church. Paisley first hit headlines in 1956 when Maura Lyons, a 15-year-old Belfast Catholic doubting her faith, sought his help and

6764-460: The unease among a large section of Protestants about the reform measures introduced under Chichester-Clark ". On 30 September 1971, Paisley and Desmond Boal founded the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). From the 1960s, one of his main rivals was civil rights leader and co-founder of the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), John Hume . British Government papers, released in 2002, show that in 1971 Paisley attempted to reach

6853-740: Was "shocked" by the bombings, but claimed that the Republic's government provoked the attack. The strike led to the downfall of the Agreement on 28 May. In 1977 the United Unionist Action Council (UUAC) was formed out of the UUUC. The council was chaired by Joseph Burns and included Paisley, Ernest Baird (leader of the United Ulster Unionist Movement ), members of the Ulster Workers' Council, and leaders of loyalist paramilitaries including

6942-763: Was a teenager, Paisley decided to follow his father and become a Christian minister. He delivered his first sermon aged 16 in a mission hall in County Tyrone. In the late 1940s he undertook theological training at the Barry School of Evangelism (now called the Wales Evangelical School of Theology ), and later, for a year, at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Hall in Belfast . By June 1950 Paisley

7031-532: Was admonished by Parliamentary President Lord Plumb , who formally excluded him. He was then forcibly removed from the chamber. Paisley claims he was injured by other MEPs—including Otto von Habsburg —who struck him and threw objects at him. Paisley believed the European Union is a part of a conspiracy to create a Roman Catholic superstate controlled by the Vatican . He claimed in an article that

7120-504: Was being governed, but it all rested on the key point – the person with power would be the person that the people gave the power. Promoting the DUP's manifesto at a launch event ahead of the 1983 United Kingdom general election Paisley made clear that the core message of the party's campaign would be to "expose and oppose Provisional Sinn Fein and its fellow travellers, the SDLP." Responding to reporters, Paisley said: [The SDLP] are going down

7209-540: Was chosen in homage to a similarly titled network established by Edward Carson during the crisis surrounding the Government of Ireland Act 1914 . 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 mass resignation of Unionist MPs and a Day of Action held on 3 March 1986, which featured mass protest marches and strike action. Individual members of

7298-598: Was divided into several baronies: Armagh was held by the O'Rogans, Lower Fews was held by O'Neill of the Fews, and Upper Fews were under governance of the O'Larkins, who were later displaced by the MacCanns. Oneilland East was the territory of the O'Garveys, who were also displaced by the MacCanns. Oneilland West, like Oneilland East, was once O'Neill territory, until it was then held by the MacCanns, who were Lords of Clanbrassil. Upper and Lower Orior were O'Hanlon territory. Tiranny

7387-506: Was fatally shot by a sniper as he and a colleague investigated "suspicious activity" at a house nearby when a window was smashed by youths causing the occupant to phone the police. The PSNI officers responded to the emergency call, giving a CIRA sniper the chance to shoot and kill officer Stephen Carroll. The county was administered by Armagh County Council from 1899 until the abolition of county councils in Northern Ireland in 1973. County Armagh remains officially used for purposes such as

7476-646: Was made a life peer in 2010 as Baron Bannside. Ian Richard Kyle Paisley was born in Armagh , County Armagh, and brought up in the town of Ballymena , County Antrim, where his father James Kyle Paisley was an Independent Baptist pastor who had previously served in the Ulster Volunteers under Edward Carson . His mother was Scottish . Paisley married Eileen Cassells on 13 October 1956. They had five children, daughters Sharon, Rhonda and Cherith and twin sons, Kyle and Ian . Three of their children followed their father into politics or religion: Kyle

7565-534: Was passed in 1982 as a result of the previous year's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Dudgeon v United Kingdom . In 1949, Paisley formed a Northern Irish branch of the National Union of Protestants , the group being led in the UK by his uncle, W. St Clair Taylor. Paisley's first political involvement came at the 1950 general election when he campaigned on behalf of

7654-528: Was preaching at an 'Old Time Gospel Campaign' on waste ground off Moore Street in the lower Ravehill Road area of Belfast. A year later a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) was forbidden by church authorities to hold a meeting in their own church hall at which Paisley was to be the speaker. In response, the leaders of that congregation left the PCI and began a new denomination,

7743-594: Was ruled by Ronaghan. Miscellaneous tracts of land were ruled by O'Kelaghan. The area around the base of Slieve Gullion near Newry also became home to a large number of the Clan McGuinness as they were dispossessed of hereditary lands held in the County Down . St. Patrick is considered the first bishop of the Diocese of Armagh. County Armagh is presently one of four counties of Northern Ireland to have

7832-422: Was smuggled illegally to Scotland by members of his Free Presbyterian Church. Paisley publicly played a tape of her religious conversion but refused to help with the search for her, saying he would rather go to prison than return her to her Catholic family. Lyons eventually returned both to her family and Catholicism. In 1956, Paisley was one of the founders of Ulster Protestant Action (UPA). Its initial purpose

7921-448: Was to organise the defence of Protestant areas against anticipated Irish Republican Army (IRA) activity. It carried out vigilante patrols, made street barricades, and drew up lists of IRA suspects in both Belfast and rural areas. The UPA was to later become the Protestant Unionist Party in 1966. UPA factory and workplace branches were formed, including one by Paisley in Belfast's Ravenhill area under his direct control. The concern of

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