Its declared goal was to defend Ulster Protestant loyalist areas [9] and to combat Irish republicanism, particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). In the 1970s, uniformed UDA members openly patrolled these areas armed …

A group broke away from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to form the Provisional IRA. Loyalist paramilitaries such as the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), also grew in numbers.

The two largest Loyalist groups were the Ulster Volunteer Force (formed 1966) and the Ulster Defence Association (formed 1971). For three decades these groups did battle with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Catholic communities – and occasionally with each other.

The UDA initially believed the IRA were responsible and intended to kidnap twenty Catholics in retaliation. The UDA's leadership were persuaded to call off their plan by a Protestant clergyman, who convinced them that the IRA were not involved.

Aug 8, 2016 · Formed in 1971 and headquartered in Belfast, the UDA's primary motive was to defend Ulster loyalist Protestant areas and combat Irish republicanism, primarily by the IRA. According to the PSNI/MI5 report, the UDA was responsible for 408 murders from 1971 to 1999.

Jun 23, 2024 · The IRA primarily represented the Catholic nationalist side, while the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA) were associated with the Protestant unionist side. The question of whether the IRA was Protestant or Catholic is often misunderstood due to the broader context of the conflict.

Apr 9, 2014 · The UDA was a reactionary group formed to fight the Provisional IRA. They originally sought complete independence for Northern Ireland which was counter to the goal of British unity that the UVF fought for.

Sep 12, 2022 · In 1988 the combined Loyalist factions of the UDA, UVF and Ulster Resistance, a paramilitary founded by Ian Paisley and the Democratic Unionist Party, launched a joint attempt to import a large shipment of modern weapons.

Mar 27, 2023 · The largest loyalist paramilitary groups throughout the Troubles were the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and they remain the largest active groups.

Nov 5, 2022 · Ulster Resistance joined forces with the two established loyalist paramilitary groups, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA), to smuggle an enormous arsenal of weapons into the province, including about 200 Czech-made assault rifles called VZ58s and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition.