By 1971 McGrath's relationship with his deputy Garland had deteriorated, as the two began to differ over ideology, whilst Garland had also been informed by some young members of Tara that McGrath had made passes at them. Garland broke from Tara soon afterwards and confirmed to the UVF that their suspicions about McGrath had been correct.
In 1971, tensions between McGrath and his deputy Garland escalated over philosophical differences, while Garland received reports from Tara members alleging that McGrath had made unwanted advances. Garland soon left Tara and validated the UVF's concerns about McGrath.