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FOREWORD

BY MARTIN DILLON

Sometimes when I begin reading a book, I sense that I was wise to have opened it. This was the case with UVF: Behind the Mask by Aaron Edwards. From the first chapter I was persuaded that he has a genuine grasp of a very complex topic at the heart of the ‘troubles’, namely the significant political and violent roles of the highly secretive Ulster Volunteer Force.

With an eye for detail and an intimate knowledge of political nuances at work in Northern Ireland’s tribal environment, he succeeds in unpacking the genesis of the UVF. He takes his reader on a journey to a genuine understanding of an organisation that created an aura of mystery while its members engaged in organised crime and terror, often displaying a propensity for the most grotesque violence, especially in the multiple killings by the Shankill Butchers. Aaron Edwards weaves his personal knowledge and experiences of having grown up in Belfast into his explanations about the origins of the separateness of the two communities and the violence they inflicted on each other.

Like any good historian, he strips his findings back to basics for the reader, making expert use of the eyes and memories of witnesses. He offers a fine analysis of the inherited prejudices, fears and dreams of his subjects. He skilfully avoids the trap of succumbing to oral history distortions of the past. Instead, he confronts head-on the UVF’s adoration of the cult of the gunman, its glorification of violence, and its tendency to manufacture history while often ignoring facts.

Always remaining true to the data and to his sources, Aaron Edwards questions the truthfulness of sources, while maintaining his focus on the broader context and parameters of the conflict and its impact on society as a whole. His research skills are impressive in his outlines of the re-emergence of the UVF against the fast-evolving landscape of protest, tribalism, sectarianism, paranoia and fear in 1960s Northern Ireland. He cleverly navigates a path through the violence emanating from both communities, displaying an intimate knowledge of the shorthand for the political machinations of all the players. He also explains the ways the UVF often denied its role in terror and how it came to realise that making peace came with a cost to its unity and existence.

Great historians are good storytellers and Aaron Edwards belongs in this class. His account of the modern UVF’s history is told without embellishment. Facts are carefully woven into the troubles’ historical tapestry. He is aware that UVF supporters will not see the UVF as he does. For them, it will always be the last line of defence in a loyalist community that continues to embrace a siege mentality on an island with unresolved divisions and a violent past. UVF: Behind The Mask is an excellent addition to the written history of the troubles.

Martin Dillon,

California, May 2017