Firebrand preacher turned peacemaker: Ian Paisley April 6. 1926 - September 12, 2014

HOW the Dr No of Ulster politics transformed himself into a jovial double act with the man who was once his sworn enemy

ian paisley, catholicism, protestant, firebrand preacher, peacemaker, northern ireland, enemy, dr no of ulster, ira, irish republicanism, martin mcguinnessIn later years Ian Paisley mellowed in his temperment and was prepared to compromise[PA]

The first significant act by the Reverend Ian Paisley was a march through Belfast in protest over the lowering of the Union Flag to mark the death of the then Pope.

From that moment in 1963 he towered over religion and politics in Northern Ireland. For him the two were inextricably linked but his mantra was the same: no surrender, either to the IRA or Catholicism.

Spouting fire and brimstone in his trademark booming voice there was something of the preacher from a bygone age about his appearance. As the world moved on and old foes sought compromise it seemed that his attitudes were also staunchly rooted in the past.

Yet in his twilight years Paisley, who died yesterday aged 88, mellowed. He became an unlikely peacemaker, agreeing to share power with Sinn Fein.

Even more extraordinary was the cordial relationship he forged with Martin McGuinness, the IRA's former chief of staff, who was once his mortal enemy. The pair were frequently photographed laughing and joking together and were nicknamed the Chuckle Brothers.

Ian Richard Kyle Paisley was born in 1926 in Armagh where his father James was a Baptist minister. Paisley would later claim an IRA hit squad turned up at the family home on the night of his birth to kill his father. When they saw him cradling his newborn son they relented.

ian paisley, catholicism, protestant, firebrand preacher, peacemaker, northern ireland, enemy, dr no of ulster, ira, irish republicanism, martin mcguinnessIan Paisley worked well with deputy Martin McGuinness - his once sworn enemy [PA]

During a visit to the Northern Ireland Parliament building in 1965, Republic of Ireland prime minister Sean Lemass faced a barrage of snowballs thrown by Paisley

The tale of how he was "rescued from the jaws of the IRA" may have been apocryphal but set the tone for the rest of Paisley's life. Conflict and violence were never far away.

When he was a young man he never drank, smoked or went to the cinema. Sundays were spent in church where it was common for sermons to last more than an hour.

Initially Paisley became a farmer but he pursued his Bible studies at colleges in South Wales and Belfast, began preaching in his teens and followed his father into the church.

Ordained in 1946 he later campaigned against homosexuality and alcohol advertising. In 1951 he founded the Free Presbyterian Church which describes itself as "fundamentalist, evangelical and separatist".

Fierce opposition to the Catholic Church - combined with a determination to resist Irish nationalism - was always the cornerstone of his beliefs.

Northern Ireland in the 1960s was a cauldron of religious and political tension. With his fervent views Paisley, increasingly drawn to politics, was soon earning a reputation as a firebrand. He became known as "the clergyman in jackboots".

Not long after that early protest march started the ball rolling he threatened to tear down an Irish tricolour from a Sinn Fein office in Belfast. The authorities intervened, removing the offending flag themselves but it sparked the worst riots the city had witnessed for decades.

During a visit to the Northern Ireland Parliament building in 1965, Republic of Ireland prime minister Sean Lemass faced a barrage of snowballs thrown by Paisley. He became an MP in 1970 and was always ready to use his position in Westminster to denounce anyone he regarded as an enemy of Protestant Ulster. He described Catholics, many of whom were his constituents, as "Popeheads" and Catholic women as "incubators for Rome".

ian paisley, catholicism, protestant, firebrand preacher, peacemaker, northern ireland, enemy, dr no of ulster, ira, irish republicanism, martin mcguinnessPaisley loud and proud when addressing crowds in 1972 [GETTY]

As leader of the Democratic Unionist Party he always distanced himself from the Protestant terror groups that emerged in response to the IRA but he was suspected of being on the fringes. He once appeared on a hillside in the dead of night with 500 men brandishing firearms licences and later had a brief dalliance with Ulster Resistance, a paramilitary movement. Paisley was said to be the target of multiple assassination attempts and a sniper's bullet once penetrated his car and missed him by inches. It's also claimed that the IRA preferred him alive, realising his extreme views helped recruitment.

His critics claim that his constant rabble-rousing and opposition to reform in Northern Ireland fuelled the Troubles of Ulster that claimed 4,000 lives. But on the campaign trail he had a tremendous personal touch and in his North Antrim constituency he could remember the names of fathers, mothers and grandparents of voters.

HIS opposition helped strangle an early power-sharing attempt in 1974. Brian Faulkner, the Ulster Unionist leader whose efforts were thwarted, described Paisley as the "the demon doctor". His doctorate was an honorary one bestowed by the Bob Jones University in South Carolina but he liked to use the title.

Eleven years later Paisley opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement which gave Dublin an advisory role in Northern Ireland's government and was aimed at ending bloodshed.

Outlining his position Paisley thundered in his inimitable style: "Where do the terrorists operate from? From the Irish Republic. That's where they come from. Where do the terrorists return to for sanctuary? To the Irish Republic. And yet Mrs Thatcher tells us that that Republic must have some say in our province. We say never, never, never, never."

Paisley led his congregation, asking God to take vengeance on "this wicked, treacherous, lying woman". Many years later he confessed that he rather liked Mrs Thatcher and enjoyed their verbal jousting.

ian paisley, catholicism, protestant, firebrand preacher, peacemaker, northern ireland, enemy, dr no of ulster, ira, irish republicanism, martin mcguinnessPaisley with Martin McGuinness, Dr Ian Paisley, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern [PA]

He also led the campaign against the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, describing it as "treacherous". Paisley said at the time: "I'll go to the grave with the convictions I have."

However with seven out of 10 people in favour of the agreement in Northern Ireland it was clear Paisley was swimming against the tide. His rantings about power-sharing happening "over our dead bodies" looked increasingly out of touch.

In danger of becoming a lone voice he eventually bowed to the inevitable and elected to join the ride. His speeches became more conciliatory and he began hinting about a willingness to co-operate with Republicans if they accepted the rule of law.

Hardliners began wondering if Paisley had gone soft but he recognised astutely that a deal was likely to be struck with or without him. This way he could be in charge.

He met Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern for the first time in the autumn of 2004 and talked of "friendly relations". Paisley also softened his approach on religion. Having condemned the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in the past as the "whore of Babylon" and "the Anti-Christ", he caused astonishment by meeting the Irish Catholic Primate Sean Brady in 2006.

When power was devolved the next year Paisley was elected as First Minister of Northern Ireland with Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness as deputy. It seemed a match made in hell but against all odds prospered. McGuinness said yesterday that he had lost a friend. After the Chuckle Brothers term started being used Paisley was asked if the sight of him joshing with the ex-IRA man would upset loyalists.

"Oh, I'm sure it did," said Paisley, who denied surrendering his principles. "I said to one of them one day, 'Do you want me to go about with a long face?' Far better to have McGuinness chuckling and going about his business in a democratic way than having him as the head of the IRA killing people."

Paisley stepped down as First Minister in 2008 and began to retire from public life amid heart problems. In 2010 he left the House of Commons and his son Ian won his seat.

Paisley, who was created a life peer in 2010 as Baron Bannside, is survived by his wife Eileen and five children.

An exasperated rival once said to Paisley that he would be rendered speechless if the word "no" were removed from the English language. With a twinkle in his eye Paisley responded: "No, I wouldn't."

Another of his nicknames was Dr No but Ian Paisley will be remembered for belatedly saying yes.


The raucous Reverend in his own words

No surrender. We will never bend the knee

- A regular battle cry

I denounce you, Antichrist! I refuse you as Christ's enemy and Antichrist with all your false doctrine

- To Pope John Paul II on a visit to the European Parliament in 1988

People have come out of a dark tunnel and they can see there is a path out there for us. I think it has put a lot of faith and hope into people

- On the eve of being sworn in as First Minister

I am not going to sit down with bloodthirsty monsters who have been killing and terrifying my people

- Opposing demands for talks with Sinn Fein

The devil's buttermilk

- His description of alcoholic drinks

They breed like rabbits and multiply like vermin

- Speaking of Catholics in 1969