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Abstracts on Organisations - 'D'



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Compiled: Martin Melaugh ... Additional Material: Brendan Lynn and Fionnuala McKenna
Material is added to this site on a regular basis - information on this page may change

initial letter of the name of the organisation
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Dáil Éireann
The 'lower house' of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland. The electorate in the Republic of Ireland elect Teachta Dála (TDs - Dáil Deputies; members of Dáil Éiraeann) to represent them in the Irish Parliament.


Dáil Uladh
Ulster Parliament (?). The name given to a nine county parliament that was proposed in 1972. The idea received support among nationalists and was promoted by Provisional Sinn Féin and the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA).


Democracy Now (DN)
An organisation set up on 15 July 1992 to try to persuade the British Labour Party to organise and stand for election in Northern Ireland. Currently it is not possible for anyone living in Northern Ireland to become a member of the Labour Party. The group claimed to have the support of 21 Labour Members of Parliament in 1992 and by September 1933 the number was said to have risen to 33.


Democratic Dialogue (DD)
Democratic Dialogue was set up in 1995, in the wake of the paramilitary ceasefires, as a 'think tank' geared to stimulating fresh approaches to the political problems of Northern Ireland, as well as addressing long-neglected economic, social and cultural questions. DD benefited greatly from the experience of the independent Opsahl Commission of 1992-93, which demonstrated an untapped appetite in Northern Ireland for broader political participation and a willingness to engage with issues in a rational way. DD ceased operation in 2008(?). The Director of DD went on to help establish Platform for Change in 2009.
See: List of publications.


Democratic Left (DL)
Political party in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Began when a number of people, including six Teachta Dála (TDs - members of Dáil Éiraeann), broke away from the Workers Party (WP) in February 1992. The WP leader Prionsias De Rossa was one of the six TDs to form DL. The only other TD, Tomás Mac Giolla, stayed with the WP. Initially the party was know as New Agenda but changed its name to Democratic Left in March 1992. It is claimed that Democratic Left has a stronger following in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland. In the 1992 Dáil election the DL lost two seats and the WP lost the seat held by Tomás Mac Giolla. During 1999 DL merged with the Irish Labour Party (based in the Republic of Ireland) and the joint party became The Labour Party.


Democratic Unionist Loyalist Coalition (DULC)
(xx)


Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
synonyms: Ulster Democratic Unionist Party (UDUP)
One of the two main Unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. The DUP was formed in September 1971 by Ian Paisley and Desmond Boal who was then Member of Parliament for Shankill. Boal said the party would be "right wing in the sense of being strong on the Constitution, but to the left on social policies". The party took over from the Protestant Unionist Party. The DUP has stood in Northern Ireland local government elections, various local assemblies, Westminster general elections, and elections to the European Parliament. Down through the years the main objective of the party has been to defend Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the United Kingdom. The DUP campaigned vigorously for a 'No' vote in the Referendum campaign in May 1998 on the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). In the elections that followed in June 1998 for the new Northern Ireland Assembly the party polled 18% of the first preference vote and won 20 seats. This entitled it to take two seats in the Executive and it used this position to maintain the party's opposition to the GFA. Such an approach has brought further electoral success for the DUP and at the elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly in November 2003 it emerged as the largest party winning 25.7% of the first preference vote and 30 seats. With subsequent defections from its main political rival, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), this figure rose to 33 in January 2004. In addition the DUP has one Member of the European Parliament, Ian Paisley, and six Westminster Members of Parliament Gregory Campbell, Jeffrey Donaldson (who defected to the party from the UUP in January 2004), Nigel Dodds, Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson, and Iris Robinson.
[Main Entry]
[Web Site]


Department of Economic Development (DED)
(xx)


Department of Education Northern Ireland (DENI), Community Relations Branch (CRB)
The Community Relations Branch of DENI plays a role in trying to improve community relations between young (up to the age of 25) people in Northern Ireland. DENI provides grants and other financial support under a number of programmes. DENI supports various voluntary reconciliation bodies, provides grants to schools engaged in cross-community contact schemes, and also supports projects in the area of cultural traditions.
[Web Site]


Department of the Environment (DOE)
(xx)


Departments of Government
Under the system of direct rule from Westminster introduced in 1972 Northern Ireland was administered by six government departments: Environment (DOE); Economic Development (DED); Education (DENI); Health and Social Services (DHSS); Finance and Personnel (DFP); and Agriculture (DOA). When devolved power was returned to the Northern Ireland Assembly in November 1999 a major overhaul of these existing structures had already been proposed. As a result ten new Government Departments were established: Agriculture and Rural Development; Culture, Arts and Leisure; Education; Enterprise, Trade and Investment; Environment; Finance and Personnel; Health, Social Services and Public Safety; Training and Employment (later changed to Employment, Learning and Further Education); Regional Development; and Social Development.


Derry Citizens' Action Committee (DCAC)
A group established on 9 October 1968 which was made up of representatives from a number of groups which at that time operated in Derry. Ivan Cooper was the first chairman and John Hume (who later became leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party; SDLP) was deputy chairman. The DCAC organised a number of protests in Derry in 1968 and 1969.

See:
Chapter 5, in, Purdie, Bob. (1990). 'Politics in the Streets: The origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland'. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.


Derry Citizens' Defence Committee (DCDC)
synonyms: DCD Association (DCDA)(?)
A group set up in July 1969 with the aim of defending the Catholic areas of Derry against what it viewed as attacks by members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the 'B'-Specials. The DCDA was active in erecting barricades, organising patrols of what became known as 'Free Derry' (a 'no-go' area).

See:
Chapter 5, in, Purdie, Bob. (1990). 'Politics in the Streets: The origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland'. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.


Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC)
A small, radical group set up in February 1968 (Ó Dochartaigh; 1994) to campaign for improvements to housing in Derry. The group was made up of radical socialists, republicans and nationalists. Matt O'Leary was elected as its first chairman. Other founding members were Bridget Bond and Eamon Melaugh. One of the prominent members of the group was Eamonn McCann. The tactics of the group were to take direct, non-violent, action against those organisations responsible for housing in Derry, particularly the private landlords and Londonderry Corporation which was responsible for much of the publicly rented housing in the area. It was members of the DHAC which decided to invite the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association to organise a march in Derry on 5 October 1968. It was this march, and the Government's response to it, which marked the start of the present 'Troubles'.
(See also: Derry Unemployed Action Committee.)

See:
Chapter 1, in, Ó Dochartaigh, Fionnbara. (1994). Ulster's White Negroes. Edinburgh: AK Press. ... [1405]
Chapter 5, in, Purdie, Bob. (1990). 'Politics in the Streets: The origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland'. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.


Derry Housing Association (DHA)
The DHA was set up in October 1965 and its first chairman was John Hume, currently the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). The association provided flats for young couples who could, after two years, obtain a return of half the rent they had paid to put down a deposit on the purchase of a house. The association also undertook the building of new houses. Some of the housing plans of the DHA fell foul of the Unionist controlled Londonderry Corporation who refused planning permission. It was claimed that planning permission was denied because of the likely effect on the religious and political balance of certain key wards in the city.

See:
Chapter 5, in, Purdie, Bob. (1990). 'Politics in the Streets: The origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland'. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.


Derry Unemployed Action Committee (DUAC)
An initally small, radical group, set up on 22 January 1965 at a meeting in Quigley's Hotel, Foyle Street, Derry, to campaign for investment in jobs in Derry to tackle the high levels of unemployment in the city. Some of the members of the DUAC were also members of the Derry Housing Action Committee and the tactics of direct action were similar to both groups.

The main officials of the DUAC in those days were Messrs Gerry Mallett (chair), James Gallagher / Bobby Campbell / Ted Bradley (treasurers), Eamon Melaugh, and myself [Fionnbara Ó Dochartaigh], holding the positions of public relations officer and honorary secretary respectively.
Ó Dochartaigh (1994; p18)
(See also: Derry Housing Action Committee.)

See:
Chapter 1, in, Ó Dochartaigh, Fionnbara. (1994). Ulster's White Negroes. Edinburgh: AK Press. ... [1405]
Chapter 5, in, Purdie, Bob. (1990). 'Politics in the Streets: The origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland'. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.


Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD)
A (paramilitary) organisation which emerged in 1994 (?) during the then Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire. DAAD claimed the responsibility for killing a number of men, mainly in Belfast, whom DAAD alleged were drug dealers. Many commentators in Northern Ireland believed that DAAD was a cover name for the IRA.
(See also: Action Against Drugs; and Republican Action Against Drugs)


Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)
The person, and office, responsible for bringing criminal prosecutions against people accused of crime in Northen Ireland (??). (xx)


Dissident Irish Republican Army (DIRA)
synonyms: 'Real' Irish Republican Army (RIRA); Óglaigh na hÉireann
(See: 'Real' Irish Republican Army; RIRA)


Down Orange Welfare (DOW)
A Loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1972 under the leadership of (Colonel) Peter Brush and Herbert Heslip. It was claimed that the group had links with the Orange Order. The group itself claimed in 1972 that it had 5,000 highly trained members who were mostly ex-Special Constabulary officers. The group was based in North Down and was active during the Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) strike of May 1974 and again during the United Unionist Action Council (UUAC) strike of May 1977.


Drumcree Faith and Justice Group (DFJG)
The group was established in 1985 in Portadown in response to Orange Parades that were passing through Nationalist areas of the town. The group wished to improve relations between the two communities in Portadown. The DFJG sought to explain to the Orange Order how Nationalists felt about Orange parades and marches.


Dunloy Residents Group (DRG)
The Dunloy Residents Group was established to protest at the number of Loyal Institution parades that took place in the village. Dunloy is a Catholic village which has an Orange Hall on the outskirts of the village and a Protestant Church in the centre of the village. A number of parades which were planned for 1996 were halted by demonstrations involving local residents. This led to protest action by loyalists, in Harryville in the nearby town of Ballymena, who began to picket a Catholic church.


Dutch-Northern Irish Advisory Committee (DNIAC)
A group (established in 1973 ??) made up of educationalists, Churchmen and others, in both Holland and Northern Ireland. The group arranged trips to Holland to demonstrate how problems resulting from religious and political differences were tackled in the Netherlands.


Notes:
(xx)     Indicates that an entry is being prepared.
(?)     Information is a best estimate while awaiting an update.
(??)     Information is doubtful and is awaiting an update.
[Main Entry]     Indicates that a longer separate entry is planned in the future.

For related and background information see also:

  • The list of acronyms associated with 'the Troubles'.
  • The glossary of terms related to the conflict.
  • The biographies of people who were prominent during 'the Troubles'.
  • The chronology of the conflict.

Sources:
The information in the abstracts has been compiled from numerous primary and secondary sources. The best general sources for additional information are:


initial letter of the name of the organisation
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

CAIN contains information and source material on the conflict and politics in Northern Ireland.
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