A glossary of Terms Related to the Conflict



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MacBride Principles
In 1984 Seán MacBride, a former senior member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), an Irish cabinet minister, and a past winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, drew up a set of guidelines concerning the issue of fair employment in Northern Ireland. These became known as the 'Mac Bride Principles' and were aimed in particular at companies from the United States who were either already based or considering a location in Northern Ireland. The principles outlined steps that such firms should follow to ensure that they met equitable employment practices. If these were followed in full then they should be permitted to receive support and investment from the US.

McGurk's Bar


On 4 December 1971 a bomb planted by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) exploded in McGurk's Bar, in North Belfast killing fifteen Catholic civilians and injuring thirteen others.
The McGurk's Bar Massacre: "... a family site dedicated to the memory of the innocent victims of McGurk's bar bombing, 4th December 1971".

'Mainland'
synonyms: 'British Mainland'
This term is used to refer to the land mass of England, Scotland, and Wales. The term is widely used but more so by Unionists. It is considered derogatory by many Nationalists as they claim it belittles the island of Ireland because of the conations of it being merely a small off-shore island of Britain.
See also: Britain, United Kingdom

'Majority Community'
Within the context of Northern Ireland the term is often used to describe the Protestant/Unionist community.

Maryfield Secretariat
As part of the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA) signed in November 1985 an Anglo-Irish intergovernmental conference, comprising ministers and civil servants, was established. A secretariat was set up to assist with the day-today running of the conference, including those civil servants from the Republic of Ireland, and it was based at the Maryfield complex, County Down - hence the name the 'Maryfield Secretariat'.

'The Maze' (Prison)


'The Maze' is the term used by Nationalists to refer to Her Majesty's Prison the Maze. The prison is located south of Belfast and consists of a series of eight (?) 'H-Blocks', so called because their plan resembles the letter H. The prison was opened in 1976 and was the scene of a number of Republican hunger strikes including the one in 1981 which led to the death of 10 Republican prisoners.

MI5
Synonyms: Security Service
The British Security Service which is responsible for domestic counter-intelligence operations.
See: Abstracts of Organisations entry

'Minority Community'
Within the context of Northern Ireland the term is often used to describe the Catholic/Nationalist community.

'Mistaken Identity'
On many occasions during the conflict in Northern Ireland paramilitary organisations have killed people who were not the intended target. The phrase 'mistaken identity' was applied in such cases by the media.

'Mixed Marriage'


In Northern Ireland the term 'mixed marriage' is taken to mean marriage between a Catholic and a Protestant.

'Modalities'
The term first became widely used during the multi-party negotiations that were to end with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in April 1998. The term refers specifically to the procedural arrangements at these talks which allowed for decisions to be reached and made.

Monaghan Bomb
On 17 May 1974 a bomb exploded in the town of Monaghan, in the Republic of Ireland, killing five people and injuring twenty-eight people. The attack, which was later claimed by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), took place on the same day that the UVF had detonated a series of bombs in Dublin which killed twenty-three people and injured over one hundred.

'Mountain Climber'
Was the name given to a British secret service agent who during the conflict in Northern Ireland acted as a go-between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the authorities in London.

MP / Member of Parliament
Those elected to Westminster or Stormont parliaments.

Mull of Kintyre
On 2 June 1994 a Royal Air Force (RAF) helicopter crashed in the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland killing its four RAF aircrew and twenty-five of the highest ranking intelligence officials in Northern Ireland.

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Nationalist
In Northern Ireland the term is used to describe those who hold a long-term wish for the reunification of Ireland. The majority of those people who are from the Catholic community are Nationalist. It should be noted that not all Nationalists support Republican groups.
See also: Catholic, Republican

'No' Campaign
In the referendum campaign in May 1998 those within the Unionist community opposed to the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) pooled their resources together in order to try to persuade the electorate in Northern Ireland to vote 'no' - hence their campaign was known simply as the 'No' campaign.

'No Claim - No Blame'
In the wake of the peace process and the paramilitary ceasefires of the late 1990s there has been a tendency amongst a number of paramilitary organisations to no longer claim responsibility for acts of violence such as punishment attacks, shootings or bomb explosions. Partly this was a policy designed to avoid any political sanctions being placed on parties associated with the paramilitary groups. This process became known as: 'no claim - no blame'.

'No First Strike Policy'
The term was first used in the wake of the ceasefire by the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) in October 1994 and was used to suggest that Loyalists would refrain from violent attacks provided that Republican paramilitaries stuck to their ceasefire. Later other organisations such as the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) adopted this 'no first strike policy'.

'No-go' Areas
During the summer of 1969, following widespread civil unrest, certain Nationalist districts in Belfast and Derry became 'no-go areas' for members of the security forces. For a time the areas were enclosed by barricades. These 'no-go areas' remained in place until the launch of Operation Motorman on 31 July 1972.

'No Guns - No Government'
This slogan was used to sum up demands by elements within the Unionist community that their political leaders should not enter into any power-sharing executive with Sinn Féin (SF) without complete decommissioning by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

'No Surrender'
A popular slogan used by the Unionist/Loyalist community to sum up their opposition to any attempt to change Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the United Kingdom. The slogan first was used by Protestant defenders during the Siege of Derry in 1689.

'No Talk - No Walk'
Many Catholic residents of areas through which Loyal Order parades pass, have objected to the fact that their community is not consulted about the issue. Local resident groups have made it clear that they would continue to raise objections unless there were face-to-face meetings between residents and representatives of the Loyal Orders. This attitude was summed up by the phrase 'no talk - no walk'.

NORAID (North American Aid)
An organisation in the United States of America (USA) which raised funds on behalf of Irish Republican causes.
See: Abstracts of Organisations entry.

Normalisation
In the wake of the paramilitary ceasefires and the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) the British government announced its intention to reduce the level of security force activity in Northern Ireland. For Nationalists and Republicans there has been widespread criticism that this process, known simply as 'normalisation', has not taken place quick enough. On the other hand Unionist politicians have criticised the policy as having gone too far in the absence of decommissioning and ongoing paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland.

The North of Ireland


The term 'North of Ireland' is often used by the Nationalist and Republican community throughout the island of Ireland when talking about Northern Ireland. The reason for its adoption is largely political in that it emphasises their rejection of partition and asserts the fact that the region is part of a single geographical entity and also their aspiration for it to be part of a single political entity. Many Unionists take exception to the use of the term.
See also: Northern Ireland, 'Province', 'Six Counties', 'Ulster'

North Report
Following the disturbances after the disputed Orange Order march at Drumcree in July 1996 the British government established an independent review of parades. This process was chaired by Sir Peter North and on 30 January 1997 a report was produced which was referred to simply as the 'North Report'. Amongst its recommendations was that an independent commission should be set up to review contentious parades.

Northern Ireland


Northern Ireland is the official name of the region created by the Government of Ireland Act (1920). Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom. The region consists of six (Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, and Tyrone) of the 32 counties of Ireland. Northern Ireland is often referred to as the 'Six Counties' by Nationalists, a term to which many Unionists take exception. The counties of Northern Ireland were (and remain) part of the historical province of Ulster which consisted of nine counties (the other three being Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan). Most Unionists refer to Northern Ireland as 'Ulster' or the 'Province', two terms which many Nationalists take exception to.
See also: 'North of Ireland', 'Province', 'Six Counties', 'Ulster'

Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA)
Formed in 1967 to protest about discrimination against Catholics. 
See: Abstracts of Organisations entry.

Northern Ireland Office (NIO)
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) was responsible for the administration of 'Direct Rule' in Northern Ireland between 30 March 1972 and 2 December 1999. The NIO also takes over the responsibilities of government during any suspension of the current Northern Ireland Assembly. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has two divisions one in Belfast at Stormont and the other in London. The responsibilities of the NIO included political, constitutional, security, and criminal justice matters. The NIO is headed by a Permanent Secretary but is responsible to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. See list of previous Secretaries of State.) In the absence of a devolved assembly in the region the NIO was also responsible for the operation of the ten(previously six) Northern Ireland Departments.
See: Abstracts of Organisations entry.

'Not a Bullet, Not an Ounce'
The political implementation of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) was to become stalled on the issue of decommissioning. At this time graffiti appeared in Republican areas of Belfast which read: "Not a Bullet, Not an Ounce". This appeared to state that no guns, bullets, or explosives (semtex) would be 'handed over' or decommissioned.

'Not an Inch'
A popular slogan amongst the Unionist/Loyalist communities to illustrate their opposition to any change to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. The slogan dates to the time of the partition of Ireland in the 1920s. It had been proposed that a Boundary Commission would rule on any anomalies that arose from placing the new border along existing county borders. It was anticipated that some areas of the designated Northern Ireland which contained large Catholic populations would be incorporated into the new Irish Free State. However Unionists objected to giving up any territory from the six counties that were to form Northern Ireland and the slogan 'not an inch' was coined.

'Nothing is Agreed Until Everything is Agreed'
This term was first adopted during the Brooke-Mayhew political talks of the early 1990s. It was used in order to try to reassure the participants that the British government would not accept any settlement which was not based on all parties reaching agreement on all the contentious issues.



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