Tara (Northern Ireland)
Encyclopedia
Tara was a loyalist
movement in Northern Ireland
that espoused a brand of evangelical
Protestantism
.
The group was first formed in 1966 by William McGrath
from an independent Orange lodge
that he controlled. It was intended as an outlet for virulent anti-Catholicism
. The group endorsed British Israelism
as it sometimes claimed that Ulster Protestants were descendants of the Lost tribe of Israel. The group espoused a form of historical revisionism
, arguing that the early inhabitants of Ireland
were Scots
or Picts
, whilst also utilising Gaelic
terms and symbols.
A short-lived alliance with the Ulster Volunteer Force was attempted and Roy Garland
, a leading Orangeman in the 60s and 70s, and now an author, was one of Tara's members who worked closely with the Ulster Volunteer Force
(UVF) for a time. As a movement Tara sought to establish a Protestant Northern Ireland in which law and order would be paramount and Catholicism
would be outlawed. Tara viewed Catholics as being in a grand conspiracy with communism
and felt that a conflict between Protestantism
and Catholicism was inevitable. As a result members of Tara were expected to be proficient in weapon use and were encouraged to join the security forces.
Tara failed to attract much interest as its ideas were too esoteric for most loyalists. McGrath and his deputy John McKeague
(also a leading member of the Red Hand Commandos
) were both members of the Free Presbyterian Church
, although the influence of Tara did not spread far beyond sections of this church. According to Steve Bruce the group did little beyond releasing occasional threatening statements but was quickly superseded by the UVF and eventually the Ulster Defence Association
. The group was known to spread rumours about senior unionist
figures whom it felt were too moderate. A 1981 arms find damaged the group whilst McGrath had already been caught up in the Kincora House
scandal. The movement faded soon afterwards.
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
movement in 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...
that espoused a brand of evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
.
The group was first formed in 1966 by William McGrath
William McGrath (loyalist)
William McGrath was a loyalist from Northern Ireland who founded the far-right organisation Tara in the 1960s, having also been prominent in the Orange Order until his expulsion due to his paedophilia...
from an independent Orange lodge
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
that he controlled. It was intended as an outlet for virulent anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
. The group endorsed British Israelism
British Israelism
British Israelism is the belief that people of Western European descent, particularly those in Great Britain, are the direct lineal descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The concept often includes the belief that the British Royal Family is directly descended from the line of King David...
as it sometimes claimed that Ulster Protestants were descendants of the Lost tribe of Israel. The group espoused a form of historical revisionism
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
, arguing that the early inhabitants of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
were Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
or Picts
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
, whilst also utilising Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
terms and symbols.
A short-lived alliance with the Ulster Volunteer Force was attempted and Roy Garland
Roy Garland
Roy Garland is a newspaper columnist for the nationalist Irish News and a member of the Ulster Unionist Party.-Career:In the 1960s, Garland became convinced that the Northern Ireland civil rights movement was a front for the IRA and Roman Catholic Church and that its activities would lead to the...
, a leading Orangeman in the 60s and 70s, and now an author, was one of Tara's members who worked closely with the Ulster Volunteer Force
Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in late 1965 or early 1966 and named after the Ulster Volunteer Force of 1913. The group's volunteers undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles...
(UVF) for a time. As a movement Tara sought to establish a Protestant Northern Ireland in which law and order would be paramount and Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
would be outlawed. Tara viewed Catholics as being in a grand conspiracy with communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and felt that a conflict between Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
and Catholicism was inevitable. As a result members of Tara were expected to be proficient in weapon use and were encouraged to join the security forces.
Tara failed to attract much interest as its ideas were too esoteric for most loyalists. McGrath and his deputy John McKeague
John McKeague
John McKeague was a prominent Ulster loyalist who founded the paramilitary group the Red Hand Commando in 1972. Authors on the Troubles in Northern Ireland claim that McKeague, a homosexual, was a paedophile who abused young boys during the Kincora Boys' Home scandal and was a long-time agent of...
(also a leading member of the Red Hand Commandos
Red Hand Commandos
The Red Hand Commando is a small loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland, which is closely linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force...
) were both members of the Free Presbyterian Church
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the Rev. Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its members live in Northern Ireland...
, although the influence of Tara did not spread far beyond sections of this church. According to Steve Bruce the group did little beyond releasing occasional threatening statements but was quickly superseded by the UVF and eventually the Ulster Defence Association
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"...
. The group was known to spread rumours about senior unionist
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
figures whom it felt were too moderate. A 1981 arms find damaged the group whilst McGrath had already been caught up in the Kincora House
Kincora boy's home
The Kincora Boys' Home was a home for working boys in Belfast that was the scene of a notorious child sex abuse scandal.-Scandal:The scandal first came to public attention in January 1980 after a news report in the Irish Independent...
scandal. The movement faded soon afterwards.