Joe English (loyalist)
Encyclopedia
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
. English is a member of the Apprentice Boys of Derry
.
. 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. 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
. He served as acting brigadier in 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.
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 Elliott for possessing confidential security documents. Whilst on remand English, who was subsequently released without charge, had a confrontation with Danny Morrison
who was also on remand over kidnapping charges. However 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.
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
. Adair disliked English, considering him too political; as a result he dismissed English and the other brigadiers as "old ginnies" and "cardboard cut-outs". 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. 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 non-Shankill UDA Adair even threatened to shoot English when he suggested that the UDA should not claim the murder. Later in the year English was forced to confront Adair about rumours that "Mad Dog" was considering attending an Inner Council meeting armed in order to eliminate the other five brigadiers and assume sole control of the UDA.
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. As well as his advocacy of the Downing Street Declaration
, English had also held dialogue with representatives of the Workers' Party of Ireland
.
(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. 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
. 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
'.
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.
; but English's fellow Rathcoole native, who had replaced English as brigadier, 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. He resigned from his role as chairman of the UDP in 1997.
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. English was targeted for assassination in December 2000 when nine shots were fired through the window of his home, although no one was hurt in the attack. His Doagh Road home was again attacked in July 2001 when three shots were fired through the window.
His most recent public appearance was in 2009 at the funeral of peace activist Rev. Roy Magee
where fellow loyalist veterans Andy Tyrie and Frankie Gallagher
were joined by UDA leader Jackie McDonald
and even former Taoiseach
Albert Reynolds
.
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) and the Ulster Democratic Party
Ulster Democratic Party
The Ulster Democratic Party was a small loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association to replace their New Ulster Political Research Group...
(UDP) and was instrumental in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
. He is a native of the Rathcoole
Rathcoole (Belfast)
Rathcoole is a housing estate in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was built in the 1950s to house many of those displaced by the demolition of inner city housing in Belfast city...
area of Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey is a large town north of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Sometimes considered to be a suburb of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. English is a member of the Apprentice Boys of Derry
Apprentice Boys of Derry
The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 80,000, founded in 1814. They are based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. However, there are Clubs and branches across Ireland, Great Britain and further afield...
.
Early years
English had been a member of the UDA since the early days of the TroublesThe Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. 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. He was an opponent of Davy Payne
Davy Payne
David "Davy" Payne was a senior Northern Irish loyalist and a high-ranking member of the Ulster Defence Association during the Troubles serving as brigadier of the North Belfast Brigade. He was second-in-command of the Shankill Road brigade of the Ulster Freedom Fighters , which was the "cover...
, 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
John McMichael
John "Big John" McMichael was a leading Northern Irish loyalist who rose to become the most prominent figure within the Ulster Defence Association as the Deputy Commander and leader of its South Belfast Brigade. He was also commander of the organisation's cover name, the "Ulster Freedom Fighters"...
. He served as acting brigadier in East Antrim following illness striking existing brigadier Alan Snoddy and in this role voted to retain the leadership of Andy Tyrie
Andy Tyrie
Andrew "Andy" Tyrie is an Ulster loyalist and served as commander of the Ulster Defence Association during much of its early history...
, a motion that was not successful.
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 Elliott for possessing confidential security documents. Whilst on remand English, who was subsequently released without charge, had a confrontation with Danny Morrison
Danny Morrison
Daniel Morrison is the name of:* Dan Morrison , American professional wrestler* Dan Morrison , umpire in Major League Baseball* Dan Morrison , American football coach for the SMU Mustangs...
who was also on remand over kidnapping charges. However along with Ray Smallwoods
Ray Smallwoods
Raymond "Ray" 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 , Smallwoods later served as a leading adviser to the UDA's Inner Council...
English, as representative of the Combined Loyalist Military Command
Combined Loyalist Military Command
The Combined Loyalist Military Command was an umbrella body for loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland set up in the early 1990s, recalling the earlier Ulster Army Council and Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee....
, was in regular contact with Robin Eames
Robin Eames
Robin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
during the early 1990s and the Archbishop of Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)
The Anglican Archbishop of Armagh is the ecclesiastical head of the Church of Ireland, the metropolitan of the Province of Armagh and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Armagh....
's pleas for peace impacted on English's thinking.
Brigadier
The structure of the UDA changed following the removal of Andy Tyrie as chairman in March 1998 with leadership instead 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. 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.Given his seniority, English chaired the meetings of the Inner Council although at these meetings he often struggled to control West Belfast
UDA West Belfast Brigade
The UDA West Belfast Brigade is the section of the Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association based in the western quarter of Belfast in the Greater Shankill area...
brigadier Johnny Adair
Johnny Adair
Jonathan Adair, better known as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is the former leader of the "C Company", 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade of the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" . This was a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association , an Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation...
. Adair disliked English, considering him too political; as a result he dismissed English and the other brigadiers as "old ginnies" and "cardboard cut-outs". 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. English's rivalry with Adair was strong and when Adair's leading hitman Stephen McKeag
Stephen McKeag
Stephen McKeag , known as Topgun or Top Gun, was a Northern Irish loyalist who became one of the most notorious figures within the Ulster Defence Association's 'C' Company in the 1990s...
murdered Marie Teresa Dowds de Mogollon on 30 August 1993 in what was an unpopular killing with the non-Shankill UDA Adair even threatened to shoot English when he suggested that the UDA should not claim the murder. Later in the year English was forced to confront Adair about rumours that "Mad Dog" was considering attending an Inner Council meeting armed in order to eliminate the other five brigadiers and assume sole control of the UDA.
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
Alex Kerr (loyalist)
Alex Kerr is a Northern Irish former loyalist paramilitary. Kerr was a brigadier in the Ulster Defence Association before becoming one of the two founders of the Loyalist Volunteer Force . He is no longer active in loyalism....
, both of whom appeared to sympathise with English's pro-settlement agenda but who also were on good terms with Adair. As well as his advocacy of the Downing Street Declaration
Downing Street Declaration
The Downing Street Declaration was a joint declaration issued on 15 December 1993 by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Major, and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, Albert Reynolds at the British Prime Minister office in 10 Downing Street...
, English had also held dialogue with representatives of the Workers' Party of Ireland
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
.
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 PartyUlster Democratic Party
The Ulster Democratic Party was a small loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association to replace their New Ulster Political Research Group...
(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. Before long he accompanied party colleagues Gary McMichael
Gary McMichael
Gary McMichael is the son of former Ulster Defence Association leader John McMichael and was the leader of the now defunct Ulster Democratic Party during the peace process....
and Davy Adams, as well as Progressive Unionist Party
Progressive Unionist Party
The Progressive Unionist Party is a small unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979...
leaders Gusty Spence
Gusty Spence
Augustus Andrew "Gusty" Spence was a leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force and a leading loyalist politician. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade but later renounced violence and joined the Progressive Unionist...
, Billy Hutchinson
Billy Hutchinson
Billy Hutchinson is the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1997 and to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998. He lost his assembly seat in 2003 and his council seat in 2005...
and David Ervine
David Ervine
David Ervine was a Northern Irish politician and the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party .-Biography:...
on a tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that included a speaking engagement at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy
National Committee on American Foreign Policy
The National Committee on American Foreign Policy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan activist organization dedicated to the resolution of conflicts that threaten U.S. interests. Founded in 1974 by Hans J...
. On 17 March 1995 English was one of the UDP delegates to attend a meeting with US president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. 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
Danny Boy
-Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
'.
English stood for the UDP in East Antrim
East Antrim (Assembly constituency)
East Antrim is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996. Since 1998, it has elected members to the current Assembly....
at the Northern Ireland Forum
Northern Ireland Forum
The Northern Ireland Forum was a body set up in 1996 as part of a process of negotiations that eventually led to the Belfast Agreement in 1998....
election of 1996, and was also fourth on the party's "top-up" list, but he was not elected.
Removal from loyalism
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. However English's anti-drugs stance was to eventually be the cause of his downfall. Amongst those that English had mentioned to journalists was John "Grugg" GreggJohn Gregg (UDA)
John Gregg was a senior member of the UDA/UFF loyalist organisation in Northern Ireland. From the 1990s until his shooting death by rival associates, he served as brigadier of its South East Antrim Brigade...
; but English's fellow Rathcoole native, who had replaced English as brigadier, 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. He resigned from his role as chairman of the UDP in 1997.
English was allowed to continue living in Rathcoole but was considered persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
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. English was targeted for assassination in December 2000 when nine shots were fired through the window of his home, although no one was hurt in the attack. His Doagh Road home was again attacked in July 2001 when three shots were fired through the window.
His most recent public appearance was in 2009 at the funeral of peace activist Rev. Roy Magee
Roy Magee
Reverend Robert James Magee OBE was a Northern Irish Presbyterian minister who is credited with playing a leading role in delivering the Combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire of 1994...
where fellow loyalist veterans Andy Tyrie and Frankie Gallagher
Frankie Gallagher
Frankie Gallagher is a loyalist politician from Northern Ireland and leading spokesman for the Ulster Political Research Group which offers political advice to the Ulster Defence Association .-Work with UPRG:...
were joined by UDA leader Jackie McDonald
Jackie McDonald
John "Jackie" McDonald is a senior Northern Irish loyalist and the incumbent Ulster Defence Association 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...
and even former Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
.