Directory of the Northern Ireland Troubles

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

Main articles

General

Operation Banner
Provisional IRA campaign 1969–1997
Segregation in Northern Ireland
Parades in Northern Ireland
Murals in Northern Ireland
The Troubles in Derry
The Northern Ireland Troubles in popular culture

Timelines

Timeline of the Northern Ireland Troubles
List of bombings during the Northern Ireland Troubles

of Republican actions

Timeline of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions
Timeline of Irish National Liberation Army actions
Timeline of Continuity Irish Republican Army actions
Timeline of Real Irish Republican Army actions
Timeline of Óglaigh na hÉireann actions

of Loyalist actions

of British military actions

Timeline of Ulster Defence Regiment operations

Paramilitaries

Anti-terrorist laws in both Ireland and the UK proscribe (ban) membership of a number of republican and loyalist groups organised in Northern Ireland. Several other smaller paramilitary factions have appeared throughout the Troubles as well as cover-names used to deflect responsibility for attacks.

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

Republicans

Name	Initials	Operational
Saor Éire	SÉ	1967–1975
Provisional Irish Republican Army	PIRA	1970–2005
Official Irish Republican Army	OIRA	1970–1972
Irish National Liberation Army	INLA	1974–2009
Irish People's Liberation Organisation	IPLO	1986–1992
Continuity Irish Republican Army	CIRA	1994–
Real Irish Republican Army	RIRA	1997–
Óglaigh na hÉireann (Real IRA splinter group)	ONH	2009-

Umbrella groups

Irish Republican Socialist Movement

Loyalists

Name	Initials	Operational
Ulster Protestant Volunteers	UPV	1966–1969
Ulster Volunteer Force Red Hand Commando	UVF RHC	1966–2007 1972–2007
Ulster Defence Association Ulster Freedom Fighters	UDA UFF	1971–2007
Ulster Resistance	UR	1986–?
Loyalist Volunteer Force	LVF	1996–2005
Orange Volunteers	OV	1998–
Red Hand Defenders	RHD	1998–

Umbrella groups

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

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.

Group	Year
Group	70	71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80	81	82	83	84	85	86	87	88	89	90	91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99
Provisional IRA
Official IRA
UVF
UDA
INLA
IPLO
Continuity IRA
Real IRA
LVF

State security forces

United Kingdom

The British Army
- The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) – from 1 January 1970 to 30 June 1992
- The Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) – from 1 July 1992
The Territorial Army
The Royal Air Force
The Royal Navy
The Metropolitan Police
The Security Service (MI5)

Northern Ireland

The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) – to 3 November 2001
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) – from 4 November 2001
The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) – to 30 April 1970
The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS)

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/Republican

Sinn Féin (SF). President: Gerry Adams. Militant nationalist. Often associated with the Provisional IRA. Translation from Irish: "We Ourselves". Pro-Agreement.
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). Leader: Margaret Ritchie. Moderate centre-left nationalist. Pro-Agreement.
The Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP). Militant nationalist. Political wing of INLA. Anti-Agreement.
Republican Sinn Féin (RSF). President: Des Dalton. Militant nationalist. Often associated with the Continuity IRA. Anti-Agreement.
The 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM). President: Francis Mackey. Militant Nationalist. Often associated with the Real IRA. Anti-Agreement.
The Workers' Party (WP). President: Mick Finnegan. Marxist nationalist. Formerly Official Sinn Féin. Pro-Agreement.
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 rejected by both groups. Anti-Agreement.

Ulster Unionist/Loyalist

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