Joe English (loyalist)

Last updated

Joe English
Born
Joseph English

Rathcoole, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland
Nationality British
Years active1970s-1997
Known for Ulster loyalist
Political party Ulster Democratic Party
Military career
AllegianceUlster Defence Association
Years of service1970s - 1996
RankBrigadier
Unit UDA South East Antrim Brigade
Conflict The Troubles

Joe English is a former Ulster loyalist activist. English was a leading figure in both the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) and was instrumental in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process. He is a native of the Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. [1] English is a member of the Apprentice Boys of Derry. [2]

Contents

Early years

English had been a member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) since the early days of the Troubles. [3] He first came to prominence in the 1980s when he was involved in writing Common Sense, a UDA policy document that supported a form of power-sharing with Catholics. [4] He was an opponent of Davy Payne, the UDA's North Belfast brigadier and an unpopular figure with many members due to allegations of racketeering and involvement in the death of John McMichael. [5] He served as acting brigadier in South East Antrim following illness striking existing brigadier Alan Snoddy and in this role voted to retain the leadership of Andy Tyrie, a motion that was not successful. [6]

English served an advisor to the UDA's Inner Council and in 1990 whilst in this position he was arrested as part of the Stevens Inquiries. English was taken in, along with East Belfast brigadier Billy Elliot, for possessing confidential security documents. [7] Whilst on remand English, who was subsequently released without charge, had a confrontation with Danny Morrison who was also on remand over kidnapping charges. [8] Along with Ray Smallwoods, English, as representative of the Combined Loyalist Military Command, was in regular contact with Robin Eames during the early 1990s and the Archbishop of Armagh's pleas for peace impacted on English's thinking. [9]

Brigadier

The structure of the UDA changed following the removal of Andy Tyrie as chairman in March 1988 and leadership became shared between the six regional brigadiers. This became known as the Inner Council. Along with this a number of new brigadiers were appointed and amongst these was English who was given command of the UDA's East Antrim brigade. [5] Despite his high rank English was fairly weak on military matters and garnered a reputation within the UDA for being more politically minded rather than militant. [10]

Given his seniority, English chaired the meetings of the Inner Council although at these meetings he often struggled to control West Belfast brigadier Johnny Adair. [11] Adair disliked English, considering him too political; as a result he dismissed English and the other brigadiers as "old ginnies" and "cardboard cut-outs". [12] For his part, English was said to fear Adair, who had a fearsome reputation for violence, and was careful not to push him too far. [10] English's rivalry with Adair was strong and when Adair's leading hitman Stephen McKeag murdered Marie Teresa Dowds de Mogollon on 30 August 1993 in what was an unpopular killing with the UDA outside the Shankill area. Adair even threatened to shoot English when he suggested that the UDA should not claim the murder. [13] Later in the year English was forced to confront Adair about rumours that he was considering attending an Inner Council meeting armed in order to eliminate the other five brigadiers and assume sole control of the UDA. [14]

On the Inner Council English represented the strongest advocate of the proposed ceasefire and as 1994 approached, he was able to get the support of Tom Reid and Gary Matthews, the north and east Belfast brigadiers respectively. In between Adair and English stood Billy McFarland and Alex Kerr, both of whom appeared to sympathise with English's pro-settlement agenda but who also were on good terms with Adair. [10] As well as his advocacy of the Downing Street Declaration, English had also held dialogue with representatives of the Workers' Party. [15]

Ulster Democratic Party

By the time the ceasefire was announced in 1994, English had become a public figure as a member of the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) and was one of the party's three representatives at Fernhill House, Glencairn when the CLMC ceasefire was announced on 13 October that same year. [16] Before long he accompanied party colleagues Gary McMichael and Davy Adams, as well as Progressive Unionist Party leaders Gusty Spence, Billy Hutchinson and David Ervine on a tour of the United States that included a speaking engagement at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. [17] On 17 March 1995 English was one of the UDP delegates to attend a meeting with US president Bill Clinton. At the public St Patrick's day celebrations that followed the meeting English gained media attention when he cried at a rendition of the traditional Irish ballad 'Danny Boy'. [18]

English stood for the UDP in East Antrim at the Northern Ireland Forum election of 1996, and was also fourth on the party's "top-up" list, but he was not elected. [19] [20]

Removal from UDA

In common with many of the older members of the UDA, English was vehemently opposed to the drugs trade and when individual brigadiers took up drug dealing he would give their names to contacts he had in the press. [1] However English's anti-drugs stance was eventually to be the cause of his downfall. Amongst those that English had mentioned to journalists was John "Grugg" Gregg; but English's fellow Rathcoole native, who had replaced English as brigadier, [21] discovered that English had given information to the press. As a result, Gregg, who had a reputation as one of the UDA's fiercest members outside the Shankill Road, forced English out of the UDA and removed him from the political scene. [18] He resigned from his role as chairman of the UDP in 1997. [22]

English was allowed to continue living in Rathcoole but was considered persona non grata to the point that in 2001 a recently released UDA prisoner was beaten up on the estate for continuing to treat English as a friend. [23] In December 2000, nine shots were fired through the window of his home, although no one was hurt in the attack. [22] His Doagh Road home was again attacked in July 2001 when three shots were fired through the window. [24] Gregg was killed in February 2003 as part of a loyalist feud and a new leadership took charge of the UDA Southeast Antrim Brigade.

His most recent public appearance was in 2009 at the funeral of peace activist Reverend Roy Magee. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Adair</span> Ulster loyalist

John Adair, better known as Johnny Adair or Mad Dog Adair, is a Northern Irish loyalist and the former leader of the "C Company", 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF). This was a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a loyalist paramilitary organisation. In 2002 Adair was expelled from the organisation following a violent internal power struggle. Since 2003, he, his family and a number of supporters have been forced to leave Northern Ireland by the mainstream UDA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Defence Association</span> Ulster loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1971

The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and undertook an armed campaign of almost 24 years as one of the participants of the Troubles. Its declared goal was to defend Ulster Protestant loyalist areas and to combat Irish republicanism, particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). In the 1970s, uniformed UDA members openly patrolled these areas armed with batons and held large marches and rallies. Within the UDA was a group tasked with launching paramilitary attacks that used the cover name Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) so that the UDA would not be outlawed. The British government proscribed the UFF as a terrorist group in November 1973, but the UDA itself was not proscribed until August 1992.

John White is a former leading loyalist in Northern Ireland. He was sometimes known by the nickname 'Coco'. White was a leading figure in the loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and, following a prison sentence for murder, entered politics as a central figure in the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP). Always a close ally of Johnny Adair, White was run out of Northern Ireland when Adair fell from grace and is no longer involved in loyalist activism.

Raymond Smallwoods was a Northern Ireland politician and sometime leader of the Ulster Democratic Party. A leading member of John McMichael's South Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Smallwoods later served as a leading adviser to the UDA's Inner Council. He was killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) outside his Lisburn home.

Gary McMichael is a Northern Ireland community activist, and retired politician. He was the leader of the short-lived Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) during the Northern Ireland peace process, and was instrumental in organizing the Loyalist ceasefire in the Troubles in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gregg (loyalist)</span>

John Gregg was a senior member of the UDA/UFF loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland. In 1984, Gregg seriously wounded Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams in an assassination attempt. From the 1990s until he was shot dead in 2003 by rival associates, Gregg served as brigadier of the UDA's South East Antrim Brigade. Widely known as a man with a fearsome reputation, Gregg was considered a "hawk" in some loyalist circles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie McDonald</span> Northern Irish loyalist (born 1947)

John "Jackie" McDonald is a Northern Irish loyalist and the incumbent Ulster Defence Association (UDA) brigadier for South Belfast, having been promoted to the rank by former UDA commander Andy Tyrie in 1988, following John McMichael's killing by the Provisional IRA in December 1987. He is also a member of the organisation's Inner Council and the spokesman for the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG), the UDA's political advisory body.

Tommy Kirkham is a Northern Ireland loyalist political figure and former councillor. Beginning his political career with the Democratic Unionist Party, he was then associated with the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Political Research Group although he has since been expelled from both groups. He was a former deputy mayor of Newtownabbey and sat on Newtownabbey Borough Council as an Independent Loyalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UDA South East Antrim Brigade</span> Paramilitary gang of Northern Island

The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and are heavily involved in the drug trade. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east County Antrim, Northern Ireland. A mural in support of the group lists its areas of activity as being Rathcoole, Rathfern, Monkstown, Glengormley and Whitewell, all of which are part of Newtownabbey, as well as Carrickfergus, the Shore Road, Greenisland, Ballymena, Whitehead, Antrim and Larne. A newer mural in the Cloughfern area of Newtownabbey and flags have updated the areas to include Ballycarry, Ballyclare, the rural hinterland of Ballymena called 'Braidside' and despite not being in County Antrim, the town of Newtownards. The Guardian has identified it as "one of the most dangerous factions". The Irish News described the brigade as 'powerful' and at one time being 'the most bloody and murderous gang operating within the paramilitary organisation'. Since 2007 the South East Antrim Brigade has operated independently of the UDA following a fall-out.

Alex Kerr is a Northern Irish former loyalist paramilitary. Kerr was a brigadier in the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)'s South Belfast Brigade. He is no longer active in loyalism.

David Adams is a Northern Irish loyalist activist and former politician. He was instrumental in bringing about the loyalist ceasefire of 1994 and played a leading role in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process.

James "Jimbo" Simpson, also known as the Bacardi Brigadier, was a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary. He was most noted for his time as Brigadier of the North Belfast Ulster Defence Association (UDA). After falling from grace, Simpson spent a number of years outside Northern Ireland. He returned to Belfast in 2014 in a move related to an ongoing loyalist feud.

William McFarland, also known as "the Mexican", is a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary. He was a leading figure in the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), he had served as head of the North Antrim and Londonderry East Tyrone Brigade of the group.

William "Winkie" Dodds is a Northern Irish loyalist activist. He was a leading member of the West Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and for a number of years a close ally of Johnny Adair. Frequently serving as head of the West Belfast Brigade during Adair's spells in prison, Dodds later split from his old friend and is now no longer active in loyalist paramilitarism.

The UDA West Belfast Brigade is the section of the Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), based in the western quarter of Belfast, in the Greater Shankill area. Initially a battalion, the West Belfast Brigade emerged from the local "defence associations" active in the Shankill at the beginning of the Troubles and became the first section to be officially designated as a separate entity within the wider UDA structure. During the 1970s and 1980s the West Belfast Brigade was involved in a series of killings as well as establishing a significant presence as an outlet for racketeering.

James Millar – commonly known as "Sham" – is a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary. Millar was a leading member of the West Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) until 2003 when he was one of a number of dissident members forcibly expelled from the group.

Gary Smyth is a Northern Irish former loyalist paramilitary. Smyth was an active member of the West Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association during the Troubles. He was known by the nickname "Smickers" throughout his paramilitary career, although he was also sometimes called "Chiefo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy English (loyalist)</span>

Thomas English, usually known as Tommy English, was an Ulster loyalist paramilitary and politician. He served as a commander in the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and was killed by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) as part of a violent loyalist feud between the two organisations. English had also been noted as a leading figure in the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) during the early years of the Northern Ireland peace process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UDA South Belfast Brigade</span> Ulster loyalist paramilitary group

The UDA South Belfast Brigade is the section of the Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), based in the southern quarter of Belfast, as well as in surrounding areas. Initially a battalion, the South Belfast Brigade emerged from the local "defence associations" active in the city at the beginning of the Troubles. It subsequently emerged as the largest of the UDA's six brigades and expanded to cover an area much wider than its initial South Belfast borders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Elder</span> Northern Irish loyalist (c. 1962–1994)

Raymond Elder was a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary and a prominent figure within the Ulster Defence Association's South Belfast Brigade. Suspected by security forces of playing a role in numerous killings, including the Sean Graham shooting, he was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army on the Ormeau Road in 1994.

References

  1. 1 2 Henry McDonald & Jim Cusack, UDA - Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror, Penguin Ireland, 2004, p. 217
  2. ↑ Peter Heathwood Collection of Television Programmes
  3. ↑ Steve Bruce, 'Terrorism and Politics: The Case of Northern Ireland's Loyalist Paramilitaries', Terrorism and Political Violence, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2001, pp. 27-48
  4. ↑ Ian S. Wood, Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA, Edinburgh University Press, 2006, p. 92
  5. 1 2 McDonald & Cusack, UDA, p. 160
  6. ↑ Wood, Crimes of Loyalty, p. 137
  7. ↑ David Lister & Hugh Jordan, Mad Dog: The Rise and Fall of Johnny Adair and 'C' Company, Mainstream, 2004, p. 82
  8. ↑ McDonald & Cusack, UDA, p. 181
  9. ↑ McDonald & Cusack, UDA, p. 257
  10. 1 2 3 Lister & Jordan, Mad Dog, p. 211
  11. ↑ Lister & Jordan, Mad Dog, pp. 210-211
  12. ↑ Lister & Jordan, Mad Dog, p. 210
  13. ↑ Lister & Jordan, Mad Dog, pp. 155-156
  14. ↑ Lister & Jordan, Mad Dog, p. 209
  15. ↑ Wood, Crimes of Loyalty, p. 180
  16. ↑ "A historic turning point but the road ahead was hard". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  17. ↑ McDonald & Cusack, UDA, p. 275
  18. 1 2 McDonald & Cusack, UDA, p. 279
  19. ↑ "The 1996 Forum Elections: Regional List of Candidates Archived 10 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine ", Northern Ireland Elections
  20. ↑ "1996 Candidates - East Antrim Archived 15 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine ", Northern Ireland Elections
  21. ↑ Wood, Crimes of Loyalty, p. 200
  22. 1 2 "Loyalist feuding blamed for killing and gun attack". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 6 October 2016.
  23. ↑ McDonald & Cusack, UDA, pp. 368-369
  24. ↑ Shots fired at home of ex-UDP man
  25. ↑ Final tributes to peacemaker Roy
Other offices
Preceded by Ulster Defence Association South East Antrim Brigadier
1988–1990s		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.