Protestant firebrand Ian Paisley dies at 88

It wasn't just Catholics that hated him.

Funny how someone who was (arguably) single-handedly responsible for fomenting Northern Ireland's civil war, and would continue, throughout that conflict, to be the greatest recruiting tool the IRA could ever hope for, became such a renaissance man in later life, sharing power - and jokes - with former IRA men.

Longwinded troublemaker. One redemptive act of reason cannot undo the damage this creature did.

As a man of God (he probably felt he was), I wonder how in the twilight of his life he thought of responsibility for the loss of life of so many.

Thank God that Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness and the majority of people of Northern Ireland moved on in life more than the people who have so far commented in this thread. Guys, have you been in Northern Ireland? Did you grow up there during the troubles? Do you realize how peace came about? I DID grow up in Northern Ireland during the troubles. I know how bad it was and I know which players made peace possible. These were on both sides and Ian Paisley was one. The previous comments are reflective of the narrow minded attitudes of the past, something that Ian Paisley left behind. Perhaps others can learn from that. I say again that they were on both sides and Ian Paisley was one of the most significant of those.

Does no one have anything good to say about the man?

Me neither.

Interesting.

In the Guardian there's an article written by Gerry Adams (the IRA terrorist) that is somewhat different to the comments above.

'But it worked. Paisley and McGuinness got on famously. Paisley was still a unionist, McGuinness still a republican. It is to his credit and McGuinness’s great patience that they created a space where each could find common cause with the other.

Paisley embraced the new dispensation.'

He's one of the reasons why there is peace in Northern Ireland. He may well have been a bigot. But the fact he was prepared to sit down and work with terrorists has ensured that the country is as strong as they are now.

He had many, many faults and wasn't at all perfect but peace in Northern Ireland looked impossible as recent as 15-20 years ago.

Heda Madness,

Gerry Adams (the IRA terrorist)

So, Paisley is redeemed, but Adams - who got the IRA to embrace political instead of violent means, end the war, accept that a United Ireland needed the consent of the majority of citizens, decommission their weapons, and disband - is somehow different?

I don't remember Paisely being a gun runner or the Belfast commander of the UDA.

As I said, there was a lot wrong with Paisely. It was often claimed that he was the best recruiter for the IRA but given the comments by Adams, and the fact that he worked with McGuiness I think that the comments on here are unfair.

It would be interesting to see how now, in the 'war on terror' generation we live, how well the likes of Adams and McGuiness would have done without coming to the table.

To the surprise of many, Paisley embraced his new role as Northern Ireland’s first minister with a relaxed demeanor, most strikingly when working alongside his government co-leader, former IRA commander Martin McGuinness.

Not too surprising considering that Martin McGuinness was an informant for the British.

The use of 'Protestant' in the title of this article says it all. Paisley was a man who believed in social justice. Perhaps there was a decent person in there. Unfortunately, this didn't extend to those outside his particular religious sectarian beliefs. He was a man of his time and poisoned by religion. If he'd been born in a Catholic family, he'd have railed against the Protestants. A perfect example of what the people of Ulster need to leave behind.

@Albaleo,

Always up for a good schism, Ian Paisley identified with the Independent Orange Order.

@Heda Madness,

I don't remember Paisely being a gun runner or the Belfast commander of the UDA.

Cognitive dissonance?

Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC) The UCDC was established in 1966 and was made up of a committee of 13 with Ian Paisley as the head of the committee. The UCDC was the means by which Paisley led the protest against the reforms of Terence O'Neill in the late 1960s. The UCDC was also the ruling body of the Loyalist paramilitary style grouping the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV). (see also: Ulster Protestant Volunteers; UPV)

Early 1980s:

Third Force The name given to a number of attempts by Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to create a 'defensive militia'. The best known example was the 'thrid force' rallies on 1 April 1981. At a number of these rallies large groups of men displayed firearms certificates. Rallies were held on hillsides near Gortin, Newry, and Armagh. At Gortin the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was attacked and two vehicles overturned. On 3 December 1981 Ian Paisley said that the Third Force had between 15,000 to 20,000 members.

Late 1980s:

Ulster Resistance (UR) A Loyalist paramilitary style organisation which was formed on 10 November 1986 by Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Peter Robinson of the DUP, and Ivan Foster. The initial aim of Ulster Resistance was to bring an end to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Following a rally in the Ulster Hall in Belfast, other rallies were held in towns across Northern Ireland. The group was organised in nine 'battalions' and members wore a red beret. In November 1988 there was an arms find in County Armagh and the subsequent arrest of a former DUP election candidate brought accusations of links between DUP politicians and armed paramilitary groups. The DUP claimed that party links with the organisation had ended in 1987. Two members of Ulster Resistance were arrested in April 1987 in Paris along with a South African diplomat. It was claimed that there had been an attempt to exchange information on Shorts' missile technology for weapons.

http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/uorgan.htm#ucdc

I take back what I said about Paisley and his terrorist links... Apologies for that. i always thought/assumed he was just a religious bigot and not someone involved in the sectarian side of things.

Sorry again.