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Home Page > News > News Columnists > Niall O'Dowd > A farewell to arms: UDA move means final end of The Troubles in Northern Ireland
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A farewell to arms: UDA move means final end of The Troubles in Northern Ireland

By
Niall O'Dowd

Published Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 7:16 AM
Updated Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 8:08 AM



The Ulster Defense Association announcement today that they will decommission their weapons brings a final end to Northern Ireland's war. It is an amazing moment, which will resonate deeply when the history of this period is written.

The three great actors in the war aside from the British Army, who have essentially withdrawn to barracks, were the IRA, the UVF and the UDA.

All have now laid down their arms. Some tiny splinter groups remain, but the history books will record this day as among the most important in the struggle to end the Northern Ireland Troubles.

It is one of the final bricks in the wall of the peace process that began back in the early 1980s with the first tentative meeting between Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and SDLP leader John Hume. It has taken close to thirty years, but it has been worth it.

No longer will children grow up without parents and no longer will loved ones grieve at gravesides for victims of violence.  

No longer will the future look eternally bleak for generations of young men and women in Northern Ireland caught in a seemingly intractable conflict.

One man who must take extraordinary pride in the announcement is Martin McAleese, husband of Irish President Mary McAleese, who has worked night and day with UDA leaders for the past number of years to bring this extraordinary moment about. His relationship with UDA leader Jackie McDonald was particularly important in bringing an end to the decommissioning debate within Loyalism.

McAleese went the extra mile in every respect in underpinning the peace process.
As recently as a few weeks back his efforts were questioned in a BBC report that said he had failed in his objective. That report stated that McAleese had attempted to secure decommissioning by ensuring that money was poured into Loyalist areas to help with job creation, and that he has been turned down by both British government and Northern Irish government agencies.

That story missed the point. McAleese has built up an extraordinary trust with the UDA leadership, no small task given his own and his wife's Northern Catholic roots.

It was that trust and goodwill that helped the UDA make this final decommissioning act which will close a sad and dreadful chapter in the history of Ireland.

Now it is up to the politicians who have been feuding over the transfer of policing and justice powers to Northern Ireland to follow this brave gesture with action themselves.

First, Minister Peter Robinson in particular has to show the same bravery and commitment that other leaders have now shown throughout the peace process. The UDA have now shown the way.   

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A farewell to arms: UDA move means final end of The Troubles in Northern Ireland | Irish News | IrishCentral


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Most recent comments - See all comments

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Posted by barneyjo on Jan 11, 2010, 06:32 PM EST
So we can all agree then that we will either live together, or die together; interesting choice!!
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Posted by citizen69 on Jan 11, 2010, 12:06 PM EST
My point is that O'Dowd likes to make out that all is rosy in the Garden of peace when in reality terrorist cowards are still murdering our citizens. He gives too much respect to terror groups. These UDA murderers should have decommissioned long ago!
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Posted by plasticpaddy on Jan 08, 2010, 01:57 PM EST
So whats your point citizen?
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Posted by citizen69 on Jan 08, 2010, 11:32 AM EST
And yet again today, Republican terrorists have carried out a car bomb attack on a Catholic police officer. The UDA may have decommissioned but some Irish Republicans have not!
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Posted by citizen69 on Jan 07, 2010, 04:58 PM EST
"No longer will children grow up without parents and no longer will loved ones grieve at gravesides for victims of violence" You seem to forget that there is still Republican terror groups in Northern Ireland with guns & Bombs that are murdering catholic policemen as well as soldiers who were confined to barracks preparing to despatch to Afganistan.
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Posted by kickstar on Jan 07, 2010, 12:16 PM EST
Let me tell you some facts before we all start celebrating. When these troubles started Towns like Ballymena and Coleraine were markedly peaceful,Sociable and you could go to any part of them without any bother, The vast majority of people in them got on together very well, Not anymore these town are now completely Ghettoized and you would be hard pressed to see the peace process when someone is trying to cave your head in after closing time in certain parts of these towns.






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