Down Orange Welfare
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Down Orange Welfare was an
Ulster loyalist Ulster loyalism is a strand of Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, and oppose a uni ...
paramilitary
vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
group active in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
during the 1970s. Operating in rural areas of
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, the group faded after failing to win support away from larger groups such as the
Ulster Defence Association The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and Timeline of Ulster Defence Association act ...
(UDA) and
Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaig ...
(UVF).


Founding

The group was established in 1972 by its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel
Peter Brush Lieutenant Colonel Edward James Augustus Howard Brush, (5 March 1901 – 22 July 1984), known as Peter Brush, was a Northern Irish unionist politician and paramilitary leader. In later life Brush was also known by the nickname "Basil", as a jok ...
and his deputy
Herbert Heslip Herbert Heslip (1913 in Ballinaskeagh, near Banbridge, County Down – 1992) was a Northern Irish politician with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Heslip was a well-known figure in County Down Unionism, serving as a member of Down District Counci ...
, both members of the
Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...
(UUP).Abstracts on Organisations - 'D'
/ref> Claiming to be linked to the
Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It also ...
, the group was said to have 5,000 trained activists, many of whom were serving members of the security forces and former members of the
Ulster Special Constabulary The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC; commonly called the "B-Specials" or "B Men") was a quasi-military reserve special constable police force in what would later become Northern Ireland. It was set up in October 1920, shortly before the par ...
, commonly referred to as the "B Specials". The group, which was highly
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
and élitist in nature, was strongest amongst the farming community of North Down.Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley, ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th century'', Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000, p. 213 There were also a number of local small businessmen involved."Religion and Violence: the Case of Paisley and Ulster Evangelicals". ''The Irish Association - Paper presented by Steve Bruce''. UK: University of Aberdeen. 11 October 2003
Retrieved 25 June 2012
The stated aim of Down Orange Welfare was to oppose both the growth of both
Irish republicanism Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...
and
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
. As such it has been portrayed as a "doomsday outfit" preparing itself to oppose any anticipated
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
rebellion. It formed part of the umbrella
Ulster Army Council The Ulster Army Council (or UAC) of Northern Ireland was set up in 1973 as an umbrella group by the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force to co-ordinate joint paramilitary operations during the Ulster Workers' Council Strike. A ...
that was established in 1973. It also established contact with the National Front, a group that was also close to the Ulster Volunteer Force at the time. Down Orange Welfare was a member of the loyalist paramilitary body, the
Ulster Army Council The Ulster Army Council (or UAC) of Northern Ireland was set up in 1973 as an umbrella group by the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force to co-ordinate joint paramilitary operations during the Ulster Workers' Council Strike. A ...
. According to Brush, Down Orange Welfare also maintained a
liaison officer A Liaison officer is a person who liaises between two or more organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities on a matter of mutual concern. Generally, liaison officers are used for achieving the best utilization of resources, or empl ...
for the
Ulster Defence Association The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and Timeline of Ulster Defence Association act ...
. It was active in the
Ulster Workers' Council strike The Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) strike was a general strike that took place in Northern Ireland between 15 May and 28 May 1974, during "the Troubles". The strike was called by unionists who were against the Sunningdale Agreement, which had b ...
of May 1974 and members of the group blocked roads during the ensuing protests. After the 1974 strike the group joined the
Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee The Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee (ULCCC) was set up in 1974 in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the aftermath of the Ulster Workers Council Strike, to facilitate meetings and policy coordination between the Ulster Workers Council, ...
, but left along with the
Ulster Defence Association The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and Timeline of Ulster Defence Association act ...
in 1976 after it emerged that
Red Hand Commando The Red Hand Commando (RHC) is a small Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland that is closely linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Its aim was to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Irish Republican Army (IRA ...
leader
John McKeague John Dunlop McKeagueWD Flackes & Sydney Elliott, ''Northern Ireland A Political Directory 1968–1993'', The Blackstaff Press, 1994, p. 222 (1930 – 29 January 1982) was a Northern Irish loyalist and one of the founding members of the paramili ...
and other members were holding meetings with members of the
Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
and also discussing plans for an independent Northern Ireland with leading Catholic figures.W.D. Flackes & Sydney Elliott, ''Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968–1993'', Blackstaff Press, 1994, p. 334 They were also involved in the less successful United Unionist Action Council (UUAC) strike of 1977. The group declined after this second strike and disappeared soon afterwards. Brush would disappear from public view along with the movement. In 1979 Bill Hannigan, who had been a representative of Down Orange Welfare on the 1974 strike committee, was sentenced to ten years in prison for firearms offences. Hannigan was a former member of the British Army's
Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in ...
and stood unsuccessfully in local government elections before the strike. Brush, interviewed in 1980, said the group was in "suspended animation" and drilling and assemblies had ceased. In March 1982, a spokesman for Down Orange Welfare denied any knowledge of recent road blocks mounted by the Third Force in north County Down. It was reported in 1986 that remnants of Down Orange Welfare had joined the new loyalist paramilitary group
Ulster Resistance Ulster Resistance (UR), or the Ulster Resistance Movement (URM), is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary movement established by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland in November 1986 in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. O ...
.


UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade

According to
Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
(RUC)
Special Patrol Group The Special Patrol Group (SPG) was a unit of Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for providing a centrally based mobile capacity to combat serious public disorder, crime, and terrorism, that could not be dealt with by loca ...
officer John Weir, the group had engaged in manufacturing weapons for the
UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade formed part of the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force in Northern Ireland. The brigade was established in Lurgan, County Armagh in 1972 by its first commander Billy Hanna. The unit operated mainly around the Lurga ...
, which was commanded from 1975 to the early 1990s by
Robin Jackson Robert John Jackson (27 September 1948  – 30 May 1998), also known as The Jackal, was a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary and part-time soldier. He was a senior officer in the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) during the period of viole ...
. Jackson had taken over as leader when the brigade's founder, Billy Hanna was shot to death outside his home in
Lurgan Lurgan () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh. Lurgan is about south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. It had a population ...
; the killing was allegedly perpetrated by Jackson.Tiernan, Joe (2000). ''The Dublin Bombings and the Murder Triangle''. Ireland: Mercier Press. pp.110-111 The weapons were transferred to the UVF through the medium of several RUC officers based at
Newry Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, althoug ...
station, including Weir. Weir alleged that he personally received two Sterling
submachine guns A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automati ...
from Down Orange Welfare which he then handed over to the Mid-Ulster Brigade. The weapons had been made in Spa, County Down by the group who were at the time in the process of manufacturing an
M1 carbine The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced ...
. Weir named former
Ulster Defence Regiment The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army established in 1970, with a comparatively short existence ending in 1992. Raised through public appeal, newspaper and television advertisements,Potter p25 their offi ...
(UDR) soldier Samuel McCoubrey as the chief gunmaker for Down Orange Welfare; in 1988 McCoubrey was arrested after his engineering works in
Ballynahinch Ballynahinch may refer to: Northern Ireland * Ballynahinch, County Armagh, a townland *Ballynahinch, County Down, a town Republic of Ireland *Ballynahinch (barony), in County Galway *Ballynahinch, County Galway, a townland in County Galway * Bally ...
was uncovered as a facility for manufacturing submachine guns. In his confession, McCoubrey admitted to having been paid to manufacture submachine guns for loyalist paramilitaries since 1972.''Sunday Tribune'', 7 May 1996 Weir also claimed that Chief Superintendent Harry Breen was a member of Down Orange Welfare and had been present when he was given the guns. These allegations against Breen are staunchly denied by his former RUC colleagues."Did Gardai collude with the IRA in RUC men's murder?". ''Sunday Tribune''. Suzanne Breen. 11 September 2007
Retrieved 25 June 2012
Weir was convicted in 1980 of the murder of Catholic chemist William Strathearn which had taken place in 1977.
Retrieved 18 December 2011
Harry Breen was one of two RUC officers killed in a
Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
ambush outside
Jonesborough, County Armagh Jonesborough or Jonesboro (Irish: ''Baile an Chláir'') is a small village and civil parish in the Ring of Gullion in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is about south of Newry and lies from the border with County Louth in the Republic of Irela ...
in March 1989. Despite its overt militancy, Down Orange Welfare was never directly implicated in any killing nor apparently were any attacks attributed to the group.


References

{{Reflist Orange Order Paramilitary organisations based in Northern Ireland 1972 establishments in Northern Ireland Ulster loyalist militant groups