Performing Paramilitarism
Loyalist Songs, Conflict, and Culture War in Northern Ireland
Stephen R. Millar(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Will be published approx. on 30. September 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
232 pages
978-0-19-768643-0 (ISBN)
Description
During Northern Ireland's 'Troubles' (1969-98), paramilitary groups were supported and sustained by a sociocultural apparatus that helped legitimise their position within the community and disseminate their political message. From the use of flags and murals to loyalist and republican parades, working-class vernacular culture revealed who controlled various districts of the Province. For many working-class Protestants, loyalist songs were a key component of this culture, connecting the past and the present. Unlike the better-known loyalist marching band scene, the loyalist song scene was--and continues to be--much more private. Performances take place in closed settings such as local loyalist pubs and clubs, where songs are reproduced for internal consumption rather than outward expression.
Performing Paramilitarism examines the role that loyalist songs played during the Troubles and why musicians and audiences still produce and consume these songs today. By tracing the connection between loyalist songs and loyalist paramilitaries, the book highlights how these songs feed into a broader 'culture war' in Northern Ireland where, in the absence of intercommunal violence, the commemoration of paramilitary groups is used to continue the conflict by other means. Stephen R. Millar argues that in the wake of Brexit, such songs form part of a cultural nostalgia for multiple and intersecting imagined pasts. These pasts in turn resonate with the rise of populism in other parts of the world and are weaponized to defend against the looming existential threat of a United Ireland.
Performing Paramilitarism examines the role that loyalist songs played during the Troubles and why musicians and audiences still produce and consume these songs today. By tracing the connection between loyalist songs and loyalist paramilitaries, the book highlights how these songs feed into a broader 'culture war' in Northern Ireland where, in the absence of intercommunal violence, the commemoration of paramilitary groups is used to continue the conflict by other means. Stephen R. Millar argues that in the wake of Brexit, such songs form part of a cultural nostalgia for multiple and intersecting imagined pasts. These pasts in turn resonate with the rise of populism in other parts of the world and are weaponized to defend against the looming existential threat of a United Ireland.
Reviews / Votes
This is an excellent book, moving beyond mainstream views of Ulster loyalist politics to provide a detailed and nuanced understanding of the roles played by popular culture and song in creating and enhancing group identity and solidarity. It should be read by anyone seeking to more fully understand the worldview of loyalists and their engagement in a contemporary 'culture war' across Northern Ireland. * James W. McAuley, Emeritus Professor, University of Huddersfield * Stephen Millar provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of loyalist songs, a world that few beyond the initiated ever enter. To the outsider these songs often seem crass and downright sectarian. But Millar's meticulous fieldwork reveals that they act as solace for the politically anxious, build a community of belief, engage in irony and prepare the community for battles ahead, even if most of those battles are entirely imaginary. * Bill Rolston, co-author of Ireland, Colonialism, and the Unfinished Revolution * Performing Paramilitarism is an excellent resource-not only for the ethnomusicologists, but also for those who are interested in Irish studies, politics, and literature more broadly. It shows how loyalists used political songs to build support for their ideology during the Troubles and what role those songs have in the lives of Northern Irish people today. * Sean Williams, Professor of Ethnomusicology and Irish Studies, The Evergreen State College *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
40 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-19-768643-0 (9780197686430)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Stephen R. Millar
Performing Paramilitarism
Loyalist Songs, Conflict, and Culture War in Northern Ireland
Book
approx. 06/2026
Oxford University Press Inc
€88.04
Not yet published
Person
Stephen R. Millar is Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and Ethnomusicology at Queen's University Belfast. His work focuses on music, power, and conflict, with an emphasis on Britain and Ireland. His books include Sounding Dissent: Rebel Songs, Resistance, and Irish Republicanism, Football, Politics and Identity and Football and Popular Culture: Singing Out from the Stands.
Author
Lecturer in Anthropology and EthnomusicologyLecturer in Anthropology and Ethnomusicology, Queens University Belfast
Content
- To come