UDR bases were located throughout 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...

. They consisted of Regimental locations, Battalion locations, Company locations or Platoon locations.

Battalion locations

Name	Active	Bases
Headquarters	1970–1992	Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn
1st (County Antrim) Battalion 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment amalgamated with the 9th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment in 1991 to form the 1st/9th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment....	1970–1984	BHQ HQ Coy & A Coy – Ballymena Ballymena Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census.... ; B Coy – Ballymoney Ballymoney Ballymoney is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,021 people in the 2001 Census. It is currently served by Ballymoney Borough Council.... ; C Coy – Antrim Antrim, County Antrim Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council... ; D Coy – Lisburn Lisburn DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn... ; E Coy – Larne Larne Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
1st/9th (County Antrim) Battalion 1st/9th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 1st/9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1984 as a result of an amalgamation between the 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and the 9th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment. The resultant 1/9 UDR was subsumed into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 as part of the amalgamation...	1984–1992	BHQ, HQ Coy, Antrim; A Coy, B Coy, G Coy, Ballymena; C Coy, D Coy, Antrim; E Coy, Larne/Carrickfergus, F Coy, Carrickfergus
2nd (County Armagh) Battalion 2nd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment 2nd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was amalgamated in 1991 with the 11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment to form the 2nd/11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment....	1970–1991	Drumadd Barracks, Armagh Armagh Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...  (replaced Gough Barracks which was taken over by the RUC); Loughall UDR Barracks; Glenane Glenane barracks bombing The Glenanne barracks bombing was a large truck bomb attack carried out by the Provisional IRA against a British Army base at Glenanne, near Mountnorris, County Armagh...  Barracks (destroyed in an IRA attack); Newtownhamilton Newtownhamilton Newtownhamilton is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Tullyvallan and the barony of Upper Fews. It is part of the Newry and Mourne District Council area...  RUC Station
2nd/11th (Craigavon) Battalion 2nd/11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 2nd//11th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1991 as a result of an amalgamation between the 2nd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and the 11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment. The resultant 2/11 UDR was subsumed into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 as part of the Options for...	1991–1992	Drumadd Barracks, Armagh Armagh Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh... . Mahon Barracks, Portadown Portadown Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast... .
3rd (County Down) Battalion 3rd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 3rd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1970 as part of the 7 original battalions. It was, along with the rest of the regiment, subsumed into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 to form the Royal Irish Regiment....	1970–1992	Ballykinlar Ballykinler Ballykinler or Ballykinlar is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 12 kilometres south west of Downpatrick, in the parish of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 348 people. It is within the Down District Council area.It is a linear settlement running... ; The Abbey, Kilkeel Kilkeel Kilkeel is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the main fishing port on the Down coast, and its harbour houses one of the largest fishing fleets in Ireland. It had a population of 6,338 people according to the 2001 Census... ; Rathfriland Rathfriland Rathfriland is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a hilltop Plantation of Ulster settlement between the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Croob and Banbridge. It had a population of 2,079 people in the 2001 Census.-History:...  UDR Barracks; Newry Newry Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
4th (County Fermanagh) Battalion	1970–1991	Grosvenor Barracks, Enniskillen Enniskillen Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census... ; Lisnaskea Lisnaskea Lisnaskea is the second-biggest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 2,739 people in the 2001 Census. The town is built around the long main street, which bends at almost 90 degrees along its course.- History :... ; Monea Monea Monea is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, about northwest of Enniskillen. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 114.- Places of interest :... ; St Angelo St Angelo airfield RAF St Angelo was a Royal Air Force station during World War II, located near the village of Trory on the southern tip of Lower Loch Erne, two and a half miles north of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland; also used by the Fleet Air Arm... ; Fintona Fintona Fintona is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second largest settlement in the Omagh District Council area, after Omagh itself. Its 2010 population was estimated to be 1,410.-History:...
4th/6th (County Fermanagh and County Tyrone) Battalion 4th/6th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 4th/6th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1991 as a result of an amalgamation between the 4th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and the 6th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment. The resultant 4/6 UDR was subsumed into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 as part of the amalgamation...	1991–1992
5th (County Londonderry) Battalion	1970–1992	Ballykelly Ballykelly Ballykelly is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies west of Limavady on the main Derry to Limavady A2 road and is east of Derry. It is designated as a Large Village and in 2001 the population of Ballykelly was 1,827... ; Derry Derry Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"... ; Ballymoney Ballymoney Ballymoney is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,021 people in the 2001 Census. It is currently served by Ballymoney Borough Council.... ; Magherafelt Magherafelt Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area... ; Maghera RUC Station; Coleraine Coleraine Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections... ; Garvagh Garvagh Garvagh is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the banks of the Agivey River, south of Coleraine on the A29 route. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,288.-History:...  RUC Station; Macosquin Macosquin Macosquin is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is south-west of Coleraine, on the road to Limavady. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 596 people...
6th (County Tyrone) Battalion 6th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 6th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1970 as part of the 7 original battalions. It was, along with the rest of the regiment, subsumed into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 to form the Royal Irish Regiment....	1970–1991	St Lucia Barracks, Omagh Omagh Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and... ; The Deanery, Clogher Clogher Clogher is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, south of Omagh. The United Kingdom Census of 2001 recorded a population of 309.-History:... ; Pomeroy Pomeroy, County Tyrone Pomeroy is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is in the townland of Cavanakeeran, about from Cookstown, from Dungannon and from Omagh. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 604 people.... ; Caledon Caledon, County Tyrone Caledon , historically known as Kinnaird , is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is in the Clogher Valley on the banks of the River Blackwater, 7 miles from Armagh. It lies in the southeast of Tyrone and near the borders of County Armagh and County Monaghan. In the...  RUC Station; Aughnacloy Aughnacloy Aughnacloy, sometimes spelt Auchnacloy , is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Close to the border with County Monaghan, the village is about southwest of Dungannon, and southeast of Ballygawley. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 801.... ; Castlederg Castlederg Castlederg is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Derg and is close to the border with County Donegal. The village has a ruined castle and two ancient tombs known as the Druid's Altar and Todd's Den... ; Strabane Strabane Strabane , historically spelt Straban,is a town in west County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It contains the headquarters of Strabane District Council....
7th (Belfast 7th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 7th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1970 as part of the 7 original battalions. It was amalgamated with the 10th Battalion in 1984 to form the 7th/10th Battalion...	1970–1984	Palace Barracks, Holywood Palace Barracks, Holywood Palace Barracks, Holywood is a British military barracks in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland.It has been the Regimental Headquarters of the Royal Irish Regiment since 2008.... ; Newtownards Newtownards Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in... , Ladas Drive, Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
7th/10th (City of Belfast) Battalion 7th/10th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 7th/10th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1984 as a result of an amalgamation between the 7th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and the 10th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment. The resultant 7/10 UDR was subsumed into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 as part of the amalgamation...	1984–1992	Palace Barracks, Holywood Palace Barracks, Holywood Palace Barracks, Holywood is a British military barracks in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland.It has been the Regimental Headquarters of the Royal Irish Regiment since 2008.... ; Grand Central Hotel, Royal Avenue, Belfast, Newtownards Newtownards Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in... , Ladas Drive, Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
8th (County Tyrone) Battalion 8th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 8th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1972 from elements of the 6th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment It was, along with the rest of the regiment, subsumed into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 to form the Royal Irish Regiment....	1971–1992	Killymeal House, Dungannon Dungannon Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time... ; Cookstown Cookstown Cookstown may refer to either of the following:*Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland*Cookstown, Ontario, Canada*Cookstown, New Jersey, United States...  UDR Barracks
9th (Country Antrim) Battalion 9th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1972 from two companies of the 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment creating a second battalion in County Antrim. As part of the Options for Change in the British Army it was amalgamated with 1 UDR again in 1991....	1972–1984	BHQ, HQ Coy, C Coy, Steeple Hill, Antrim Antrim, County Antrim Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council... ; A Coy, F Coy, Carrickfergus Carrickfergus Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king... ; B Coy, D Coy, Lisburn Lisburn DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn... ; E Coy, Ballyclare Ballyclare Ballyclare is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,770 people in the 2001 Census...
10th (City of Belfast) Battalion 10th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 10th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1972 from elements of the 7th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment creating a second battalion in Belfast. It was again amalgamated with 7 UDR in 1984 to form the 7th/10th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment....	1972–1984	Malone Road, Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... ; Carryduff
11th (Craigavon) Battalion 11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment The 11th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed from companies of the 2nd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and the 3rd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment in 1972...	1972–1991	BHQ, A Coy, B Coy, E Coy, Mahon Barracks, Portadown Portadown Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast... ; C Coy, Kitchen Hill Barracks, Lurgan Lurgan Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway... ; D Coy, Scarva Road Barracks, Banbridge Banbridge Banbridge is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It was named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. The town grew as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing... ; F Coy, Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn

Battalion disperals

The dispersal of UDR soldiers into their areas of responsibility was through sub-barracks, as illustrated in the table above, which could hold an entire company or perhaps just a platoon of men. Battalion Headquarters would be located in a major town (usually the county town but not always as some counties had two Battalions). Guarded by a permanent cadre of soldiers these barracks would become doubly active after 6 p.m. as part-time soldiers arrived for evening duties. After Ulsterisation

Ulsterisation

Ulsterisation refers to one part 'primacy of the police' of a three part strategy by the British Government to pacify Northern Ireland during the conflict known as The Troubles...

 began in 1976 many battalion headquarters eventually had full-sized permanent cadre companies attached and these would maintain a 24 hour presence in the Battalion's area of responsibility. In each battalion area, sub headquarter units would maintain direct contact with their own men and Battalion HQ by radio. In many cases the radios were operated by Greenfinches whose husbands or sons were out on patrol. This led to tense moments when mobile units or foot patrols came under attack and submitted a "contact report" (contact with the enemy) by radio.

An example of this structure can be seen in the make-up of 2 UDR based at Drummad Barracks in Armagh:

Company	Part/Full-time	Base	Hours of duty	Number on duty
HQ Coy	Mixed	Armagh, Command, Control & Admin	Admin 9-5, Watchkeepers 24 hr	9-5 = 15, 24hr = 5
A Coy	Full time	Armagh	24	35
B Coy	Part time	Armagh/Newtownhamilton/Caledon	7pm – 2am	35
C Coy	Part time	Glenanne	7pm – 2am	35
D Coy	Part time	Loughgall	7pm – 2am	35

The regiment was reduced to nine battalions in 1984, then to seven in 1991.

County connections

The raising of citizen militias has a history in Ireland stretching back to the creation of the Irish Militia in 1793. The Militia itself was officially disbanded in 1908 and replaced with the Territorial Force (in Ireland, it was called the Special Reserve and, after the Great War, the Supplementary Reserve) , which later became the Territorial Army.

Some battalions of the Irish Militia remained on the Army list (in name only) until 1953 as part of the Territorial Army; The 5th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...

: 6th Royal Ulster Rifles

Royal Ulster Rifles

The Royal Ulster Rifles was a British Army infantry regiment. It saw service in the Second Boer War, Great War, the Second World War and the Korean War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.-History:...

 and 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers

Royal Irish Fusiliers

The Royal Irish Fusiliers was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th Regiment of Foot and the 89th Regiment of Foot in 1881. The regiment's first title in 1881 was Princess Victoria's , changed in 1920 to The Royal Irish Fusiliers...

.

The raising of the Ulster Defence Regiment followed the practice of raising citizen militias in Ireland for two reasons:

• it was raised as a home defence force with its battalions based in the counties;
• it existed under separate legislation to that which empowered the Army.

The raising of battalions on a county basis followed the pattern of raising militias. There were, however, several exceptions with the UDR. Belfast was not a county borough in 1793 and previous militia units in County Londonderry

County Londonderry

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

 did not use a county or city suffix and were simply known as "Derry" or "Londonderry".

The county connections are:

• County Antrim (1 UDR) – The Antrim Regiment of Militia, later known as the Antrim (Queen's Royal Rifles) Militia and (in 1881) 4th Royal Irish Rifles.
• County Armagh (2 UDR) – The Armagh Regiment of Militia, later known as the Armagh Light Infantry and (in 1881) 3rd Princess Victoria's Regiment (Royal Irish Fusiliers
  Royal Irish Fusiliers
  The Royal Irish Fusiliers was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th Regiment of Foot and the 89th Regiment of Foot in 1881. The regiment's first title in 1881 was Princess Victoria's , changed in 1920 to The Royal Irish Fusiliers...
  
  ).
• County Down (3 UDR) – The Down Regiment of Militia, later known as the Royal North Down Rifles (here there is a tenuous connection with 7 UDR) and (in 1881) split into two separate units, 3 Royal Irish Rifles (the North Down Militia) and the Royal South Down Light Infantry, later known as 5 Royal Irish Rifles (the South Down Militia).
• County Fermanagh (4 UDR) – The Fermanagh Regiment which became the Fermanagh Light Infantry and (in 1881) the 3rd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
  Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
  The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
  
  .
• County Londonderry (5 UDR) – The Londonderry Regiment later known as the Londonderry Light Infantry and (in 1881) briefly as the 4th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers before being transferred to the Royal Artillery
  Royal Artillery
  The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
  
   as 9th Brigade
  Brigade
  A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
  
  , North Irish Division RA.
• County Tyrone (6 UDR) – The Tyrone Regiment, later the Royal Tyrone Regiment and the Royal Tyrone Fusliers Militia before being renamed the 5th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and finally the 4th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.