The
Ulster Young Militants are considered to be the youth wing of the
Ulster Defence AssociationThe Ulster Defence Association is a loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland. Its main objective has been to reject unification of Ireland. The UDA is outlawed as a proscribed terrorist group in the United Kingdom....
, a
loyalistUlster loyalism is a militant unionist ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. Some individuals claim that Ulster loyalists are working-class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims...
paramilitary group in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Commonly known as the Young Militants or UYM, the group formed in 1974 when
the TroublesThe 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...
were at their height. Their motto is "Terrae Filius",
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
for "Son of the Land".
Their numbers are unknown, but are mainly concentrated in the
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
area, particularly east and south Belfast.
The
Ulster Young Militants are considered to be the youth wing of the
Ulster Defence AssociationThe Ulster Defence Association is a loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland. Its main objective has been to reject unification of Ireland. The UDA is outlawed as a proscribed terrorist group in the United Kingdom....
, a
loyalistUlster loyalism is a militant unionist ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. Some individuals claim that Ulster loyalists are working-class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims...
paramilitary group in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Commonly known as the Young Militants or UYM, the group formed in 1974 when
the TroublesThe 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...
were at their height. Their motto is "Terrae Filius",
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
for "Son of the Land".
Their numbers are unknown, but are mainly concentrated in the
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
area, particularly east and south Belfast. In the 1970s the group were synonymous with the "Tartan Gangs", their main activities being the intimidation of Roman Catholic families in loyalist areas of Belfast. These gangs included "The Shankhill Young Tartan", "Ardcarn Boot Boys", "Ballybeen Riot Squad" and the "Young Newton" from the Ballymacarrett area of east Belfast. Many prominent loyalists are believed to have been members of the UYM before joining the UDA. This includes
Johnny AdairJonathan Adair, better known as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is the former leader of "C Company" of the Ulster Loyalist paramilitary organisation Ulster Freedom Fighters, a cover name of the Ulster Defence Association. Adair was expelled from the organisation in 2002 following a violent power struggle...
.
In recent times members have been involved in rioting, particularly during the
marching seasonThe Twelfth is an annual Protestant celebration on 12 July, originating in Ireland. It is alternatively known also as Orangemen's Day, as the Boyne celebrations, commemorating the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, and the Glorious Revolution. It is occasionally known as the Glorious Twelfth, but that...
and at
interface areaInterface area is the name given to areas where segregated Protestant and Catholic residential areas meet in Northern Ireland. They have been defined as "the intersection of segregated and polarised working class residential zones, in areas with a strong link betweenterritory and ethno-political...
s. They have also been blamed for arson attacks on Catholic schools and churches.
According to the
University of Ulster'sThe University of Ulster is a multi-campus university located in Northern Ireland and is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland. Its origins are in the combination of the New University with Magee College, Ulster Polytechnic and the...
CAIN ProjectCAIN is a database containing information about Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland from 1968 to the Present. The project began in 1996, with the website launching in 1997. The project is based within the University of Ulster at its Magee campus...
, the group have been responsible for one death during the conflict. In 2001 members of the UYM attacked and killed Trevor Lowry in
NewtownabbeyNewtownabbey is a large suburb of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Newtownabbey Urban Area is directly north of Belfast and contains a large number of smaller developments, including Carnmoney, Ballyduff, Glengormley, Jordanstown, Monkstown, Rathcoole and Whiteabbey. Overall...
, believing him to be a Roman Catholic. It was later discovered that Lowry was a
ProtestantProtestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the major divisions within Christianity, together with the Roman...
.