Joe English was an Ulster Defense Association leader and Ulster Democratic Party politician during The Troubles, leading the East Antrim Brigade during the 1990s.
Biography[]
Joe English was born in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland to a family of Ulster Protestants. He was a member of the Ulster Defense Association since the early days of The Troubles, and he became the leader of the UDA's Southeast Antrim Brigade, opposing North Belfast brigadier Davy Payne due to his involvement with racketeering. In March 1988, when the UDA Inner Council was formed in response to Andy Tyrie's removal as Ulster Democratic Party chairman, a number of new brigadiers were appointed, with English taking over the East Antrim Brigade. English was more politically minded than militant, making him a poor military leader and the opposite of up-and-coming UDA leader Johnny Adair, who became his rival. He was forced out of the UDA due to his opposition to the organization's drug dealing.