A glossary of Terms Related to the Conflict
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- Declaration of Intent to Withdraw
- Democratic Unionist Party
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DThe Dáil / Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann, or The Dáil, is 'lower house' of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland. See: Abstracts of Organisations entry. Darkley On 20 November 1983 three members of the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church, Darkley near Keady, County Armagh, were shot dead and seven others injured. Although the attack was claimed by the 'Catholic Reaction Force' (CRF) it is widely accepted that the CRF was a covername used by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). Darlington Conference William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, called a three-day conference from 25 to 28 September 1972 in an attempt to find an agreement on a new form of government for Northern Ireland. The talks were held at a location near Darlington, England, but failed to make any progress with a number of the main political parties choosing not to attend. 'Day of Action' On a number of occasions during the conflict Unionist and Loyalist leaders have attempted to co-ordinate protests in opposition to aspects of the British government's policy in Northern Ireland. These frequently took the form of a 'Day of Action' when measures were undertaken to disrupt day-to-day life in Northern Ireland. On 23 November 1981 there was a 'Day of Action' against what was considered to be an inadequate security policy, and on 3 March 1986 there was a 'Day of Action' against the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA). The successes of these events were however often undermined by allegations that threats and intimidation were being used to persuade people to take part. Death Squad(s) A term used to describe paramilitaries groups. The term has been used in particular by Republicans as a label for Loyalist paramilitaries who engage in sectarian killings. The term is borrowed from the experience of certain Latin American countries where right-wing paramilitary groups carried out killings with seemingly little interference from government security forces. 'Declaration of Intent to Withdraw' The central aim of the Republican movement was to force the British government to withdraw from Northern Ireland. During secret talks between the IRA and British officials, and during political negotiations between Sinn Féin and the British government, Republicans attempted to secure a 'declaration of intent to withdraw' from Northern Ireland in the absence of immediate withdrawal. Decommissioning Decommissioning in the context of the Irish Peace Process refers to the hand-over, or verified disposal, of weapons by paramilitary groups. The issue has proved to be a stumbling block during the whole process of trying to find a solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland. See: Brief note on decommissioning; section on the peace process; and the reports and statementsby the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD)) Demilitarisation Since the emergence of the 'Peace Process' in Northern Ireland in the 1990s Sinn Féin has faced demands that the IRA should decommission its arsenal of weapons. In reply Republicans have argument that there needs to be a complete 'demilitarisation' of the region. This was explained in terms of the removal of the security network which had been built up over twenty-five years since 1969. 'Democratic Deficit' From March 1972 until November 1999 Northern Ireland was administered from Westminster by means of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) headed by Secretary of State who was responsible for all matters relating to Northern Ireland. Those MPs from Northern Ireland who had been elected to Westminster had few opportunities to influence legislation which was dealt with separately by way of 'Orders in Council'. This process meant that the opportunities for debate and analysis was greatly restricted. With the powers of local authorities also greatly curtailed, there was a lack of significant input from the people of Northern Ireland on issues related directly to them. This was termed the 'Democratic Deficit'. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) synonyms: Ulster Democratic Unionist Party (UDUP) One of the two main Unionist parties in Northern Ireland. The party mainly attracts support from working-class Protestants. Ian Paisley has been leader of the DUP since it was formed in 1971. See: Abstracts of Organisations entry. Derry Derry, or Londonderry, is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and is situated in the west of the region close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The original name of the city was Doire which in the Irish language means oak-grove or place of the oak. The present city was built on the site of an abbey founded by Saint Columba in 546AD. Following the Elizabethan conquest of Ulster and the beginnings of the Jacobean plantation of the region, the name of the city was changed to Londonderry on 29 March 1613. Nationalists have always referred to the city as Derry. Before the beginning of 'the Troubles' most Unionists also referred to the city as Derry. Since the onset of the present conflict the name of the city has been a source of contention with Unionists using the official name. The official name of the city remains Londonderry and can only be changed by royal charter. The name of the city council was changed by a vote in council in 1984 to 'Derry City Council'. Some commentators have adopted a procedure of making a first reference to the city by its official name and each subsequent reference by the name Derry. 
Devolution See: Devolved government Devolved Government Any government in Northern Ireland which has substantial legislative and executive powers delegated to it by the Westminster Parliament. The Stormont Parliament (1921 - 1972) had wide ranging powers as did the power-sharing Executive of 1974. D'Hondt A system involving a mathematical model in which positions are shared out amongst different parties in the wake of an election with specific appointments made on the basis of proportionality. D'Hondt was introduced into Northern Ireland politics when it was used to determine the composition of the power-sharing executive envisaged under the Good Friday Agreement (1998). 'Diktat' Loyalist and Unionist opinion in Northern Ireland used the term 'diktat' in connection with the Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) as they considered it had been imposed on them without their consent. Diplock Court(s) In 1972 a committee headed by Lord Diplock was established by the British government to investigate possible changes to the legal procedures used in cases arising out the conflict. Its reportwas published on 20 December 1972 and amongst its recommendations was that such cases should be heard by a Judge of the High Court, or a County Court Judge, sitting alone with no jury. These proposals were adopted by the authorities in 1973 and such courts became known as 'Diplock Courts'. Direct Rule The system of governing Northern Ireland whereby the Westminster Parliament has responsibility, through the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), for legislative and executive control of the region. Direct rule was imposed on Northern Ireland in March 1972, was suspended during the operation of the power-sharing Executive of 1974, and then reimposed until Thursday 2 December 1999 when powers were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly under the Good Friday Agreement. During suspensions of the institutions of government in Northern Ireland, Direct Rule was reimposed on a number of occasions: from midnight Friday 11 February 2000 to midnight on Monday 29 May 2000; for 24 hours beginning at midnight on Friday 10 August 2001; for 24 hours beginning at midnight on Friday 21 September 2001; a fourth, indefinite, period of suspension began at midnight on Monday 14 October 2002. See: Key Event entry. 'Dirty Protest' In the late 1970s in their effort to secure a return of special category status Republican paramilitary prisoners in the Maze Prison, outside Belfast, refused to wear prison clothes. As civilian clothes were not allowed under the new rules the Republican prisoners wrapped a blankets around themselves - so started the 'Blanket Protest'. The protest escalated into a 'Dirty Protest' in which prisoners refused to wash, refused to shave or cut their hair, and refused to use the toilets and instead began to smear their own excrement on the walls of their cells. The 'Dirty Protest' later gave way to a series of hunger strikes. See: Key Event entry. Discrimination In the years after partition the Nationalist community in Northern Ireland alleged that it suffered unfair treatment at the hands of Unionist authorities at Stormont and in local government. There were allegations of discrimination based on religion in a range of areas such as the provision of public housing, employment, and the manipulation of electoral boundaries. These allegations of discrimination were to be the catalyst for the emergence of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. See: Whyte, John. (1983) 'How Much Discrimination was there Under the Unionist Regime, 1921-1968?', in, Gallagher, T. and O'Connell, J. (eds.) Contemporary Irish Studies. Manchester: Manchester University Press. See: Key Issue entry. Dissident Republicans 'Dissident Republicans' is a term used (by their oponents) to describe those members of the Republican Movement who disagreed with the direction taken by Sinn Féin during the Peace Process. In particular the decisions to enter Stormont and to support policing and justice in Northern Ireland. The term covers a wide range of opinion from those who support the continuation of an 'armed campaign', to those who maintain they have the right to take up arms but the circumstances are no longer favourable for physical force, to those who advocate peaceful and democratic opposition to Sinn Féin. The paramilitary groupings include: Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA); Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA); and Óglaigh na hÉireann (ONH). The political groupings include: Republican Sinn Féin (RSF); Real Sinn Féin (RSF); Thirty-Two County Sovereignty Movement; éirigi; and Republican Network for Unity (RNU). See: Dissident Republican Groupings, and a Chronology of Dissident Republican Activity, 1994-2011. Downing Street Declaration A document issued on 15 December 1993 by the British and Irish governments. A key part of the Peace Process which was eventually to lead to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire of 31 August 1994. The document reiterated the fact that the British government had no "selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland" and, subject to the wish of a majority of the electorate, would introduce legislation enabling a United Ireland. Drumcree Since 1995 the district of Drumcree just outside the town of Portadown, County Armagh, has been the scene of a bitter dispute between local Nationalist residents and the Orange Order over a parade from a church service on the first Sunday of July. Dublin Bombs During 'the Troubles' Loyalist paramilitaries often extended their campaign into the Republic of Ireland. On 1 December 1972 two people were killed and 127 injured when two car bombs exploded in the centre of Dublin. On 17 May 1974 three separate bombs in different parts of Dublin exploded resulting in 23 people being killed and over 100 injured. On the same day, just over one and half hours later, another Loyalist bomb exploded in the town of Monaghan, this killed five people and left over 300 injured. Later responsibility for these attacks was claimed by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) but allegations have also been made that they were assisted by members of the British security forces. See: Key Event entry. Duisberg Meetings From 14 to 15 October 1988 secret meetings were held in Duisberg, West Germany, between representatives from the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The purpose was to explore the possibility of all the parties becoming involved in a new round of inter-party negotiations. Little progress was reported from the meetings and they ended without any significant breakthrough. Dump Arms Phrase used by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in its statement of 28 July 2005 formally ending the organisation's armed campaign. The particular sentence read: "All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms." In this context the word 'dump' was a military term meaning 'store'. So the instruction required IRA volunteers to return any arms they were holding to storage bunkers which were under the control of IRA Quartermasters. 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