Memory and Belonging in Ulster Loyalist Identity

In Northern Ireland there is a constant struggle between competing interpretations of historical events, the determination of which serves to validate and legitimate views of the present and to meet contemporary political concerns. The memory of historical events carry a profound political significance, as the past is altered to suit present purposes, and transmitted across generations by commemoration and memorialization. This article examines how Ulster Loyalist collective memory is characterized by an attempt to ensure collective coherence and how individuals understand their relationship to contemporary political events through their interactions with the past.