---
description: Northern Ireland is no longer riven by violent conflict but, as photographer Adam Patterson discovered, peace doesn't happen overnight.
title: Twisted Nostalgia: Life After the Troubles in Northern Ireland
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c9d515405238f/69868855810bbb338ec90c97/l_adam_patterson_mmd.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9
---
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# Twisted Nostalgia: Life After the Troubles
by
[Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/)
## Megan Gibson
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Jul 11, 2012 7:00 AM CUT
Photographs from the project Men and My Daddy The removal of the last loyalist UDA (Ulster Defense Association) paramilitary mural in North Belfast. As part of a larger revitalization effort, the UDA has committed to replacing traditional murals with more peaceful ones. 2010.
Photographs from the project Men and My Daddy The removal of the last loyalist UDA (Ulster Defense Association) paramilitary mural in North Belfast. As part of a larger revitalization effort, the UDA has committed to replacing traditional murals with more peaceful ones. 2010.Adam Patterson
by
[Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/)
## Megan Gibson
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Jul 11, 2012 7:00 AM CUT
A graffiti-ridden wall dividing Protestant and Catholic communities. A teenage boy defiantly packing drugs into a battered homemade bong. A man gazing at a memorial wreath nailed to a brick wall. The whitewashing of a propaganda mural – the last of its kind. These are the scenes of modern Belfast. The images, both resonant and ordinary, are part of photographer Adam Patterson’s series, _Men and My Daddy_. The collection of photographs – which features both documented stills from Patterson and found images – tells the story of how the members of Northern Ireland’s largest loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defense Association, are adjusting to life after the notorious Troubles.
UDA and UVF members pose for a snapshot taken inside the Maze prison in the early 1990s. The title of Patterson's project comes from the words on the back of the picture, written by the daughter of Tommy (front row, 4th from the left), who features in the project. Courtesy Adam Patterson
“I felt it was a really interesting time; it was a transitional period,” Patterson, who was born in Northern Ireland, said of the country after the fighting had ceased. For decades Northern Ireland was largely characterized by violence and terror as the country divided into two camps: the Protestant unionists and the Catholic nationalists. In 1971, the UDA emerged as a force to be reckoned with, instigating some of the region’s most mobilized fighting. When the conflict was brought to an end and paramilitary groups pledged their commitment to the peace process, the UDA – much like Northern Ireland – was faced with the task of reinventing itself.
Intrigued by the work that was being done, Patterson built relationships with several members of the community. He began documenting one project that focused on repainting the various murals around the region, which featured armed men in what was part of a “fear campaign” established by the UDA. “The idea is to change the murals so they still symbolize the traditions of the area, but not in a violent way,” said Patterson. But soon he became interested in what the reformed men — and their offspring — were dealing with internally as well. Though many were committed to change, Patterson noted that it was a lot easier said than done: “Obviously when people sign up to the peace process minds don’t change overnight.”
As he spent more time at home in Northern Ireland, he came to recognize the different way the country’s youth, who’d only heard of The Troubles secondhand, viewed the process towards peace. “The young people kind of become frustrated that they’ve been cheated out of fighting for this nostalgic idea that’s passed down through the generations,” said Patterson. “They don’t hear the tales of misery or the prison sentences, they only hear these elements of nostalgic stories. They feel like they’ve missed out.” Photographs of youths continuing the traditions of the previous generation — such as building massive bonfires while still being wary of rival youths — attest to the deceptive allure of the country’s history. It’s what Patterson calls a “twisted nostalgia.”
Yet as he became more immersed in his work, Patterson soon felt his own feelings about The Troubles growing complicated as well. “Obviously, I was initially quite apprehensive about it because I didn’t know much about \[former UDA members\] besides what you’d read in the newspapers which is never good,” he said. “Whether I’ve met these guys or actually think they’re nice guys, is irrelevant to some extent. What the organization stood for and what the organization did was terrible. That’s not excused. But a lot of these guys today would think the same thing.”
Though Patterson maintains that he doesn’t shoot to “change people’s opinions,” after working in his native country he’s come to appreciate the biggest challenge facing these reformed extremists: forging a better path for their sons and daughters to follow.
“It’s about helping young people find a passion,” he says, “so they have something to try and emulate beyond their uncles and forefathers in the very recent history.”
_Adam Patterson is a_ _Northern Irish_ _photographer. More of his work can be seen_ [_here_](http://www.adampatterson.net/ "undefined")_. Patterson is currently showing work from his project_ [A Very Normal Place](http://ruared.ie/A%5FVery%5FNormal%5FPlace.html "undefined") _at RUA RED in Dublin._
Photographs from the project Men and My Daddy The removal of the last loyalist UDA (Ulster Defense Association) paramilitary mural in North Belfast. As part of a larger revitalization effort, the UDA has committed to replacing traditional murals with more peaceful ones. 2010. Adam Patterson
Tommy looks on at a remembrance wreath for two murdered UDA members, both killed by the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) during a loyalist feud. 2011. Adam Patterson
A section of the interface wall that divides Protestant and Catholic communities in Alexandra Park, North Belfast. 2010. Adam Patterson
A snapshot of a UDA show of strength in North Belfast during the mid-1990s. Adam Patterson
Youth in the Ballysillan area of North Belfast smoke marijuana in an alley. Many young people resent paramilitary groups like the UDA, partly because the groups now refuse to take on new recruits. 2010. Adam Patterson
Members of the UVF clash with police at a protest against a Catholic parade. Unlike the UDA, the UVF has not yet engaged in the reimaging process and remains embroiled in allegations of violence, extortion and drugs. 2010. Adam Patterson
Looking down from North Belfast over the city proper. Flag poles are painted in red, white and blue — the colors of the British Union Jack — as a traditional method of marking territory in Protestant estates. 2010. Adam Patterson
Each year, youth in loyalist Upper Ardoyne build a bonfire to be set alight on the evening of July 11 as part of the annual celebrations held to commemorate the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over the Catholic King James II, in 1690\. Young people in Protestant estates such as this spend weeks scavenging wood to build the structure, and even stand watch, fearing that it may be attacked and destroyed by rival Catholic youth. 2011. Adam Patterson
Preparing to burn the bonfire in Upper Ardoyne on July 11, 2011. Adam Patterson
Smoke from a bonfire carries through Tigers Bay estate on July 11, 2011. Adam Patterson
Riot police use water canons to repel Republican (Catholic) youth as they attempt to disrupt a loyalist (Protestant) band marching past their estate during the annual July 12 parades. The annual marching season still brings trouble between Protestant and Catholic communities living in close proximity to each other. 2011. Adam Patterson
Maxine holds her youngest son Cohen at their home in Tigers Bay. 2010. Adam Patterson
A young boy in Ballysillan estate plants flower bulbs as part of the final Re-Imaging Communities Project effort in the area. In Ballysillan, many locals feared that the removal of traditional murals meant having their culture and memories stripped away. After careful delegation, new sculptures, murals and gardens have been designed and installed by residents. Adam Patterson
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