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8 Family confirms tests for unspecified illness
In July 2004 Dr. Paisley's family stated that he had been ungoing tests for an undisclosed illness. The family suggested that the release of the information was to quell widespread rumours within Northern Ireland and abroad that Dr. Paisley was suffering from a potentially terminal illness; one widespread rumour in Northern Ireland suggested cancer. The family declined to indicate the nature of the suspected illness, citing privacy. Though the family statement was reported in general terms, the media in Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Republic Ireland unusually opted not to speculate as to the nature, if any, of Dr. Paisley's illness. Political opponents, both unionist and nationalist, also declined to discuss the marked physical deterioration in Dr. Paisley's health other than to wish him a full recovery.
9 Family
Ian Paisley and his wife Eileen have three children who have followed their father into politics or religion; Kyle, into the church, their son Ian (a DUP assemblyman) and daughter Rhonda, who served as a member of Belfast City Council but has since left politics. (She once presented a TV chat show on the Republic's Radio Telifís Éireann, Saturday Live where one of her guests was her father Ian, who charmed TV viewers with his personality and good humour, in utter contrast to the normal 'Ian Paisley' seen on news bulletins. Another guest on that show was Irish comedian Brendan Grace)
In 1981, he appeared on a hillside at dead of night with 500 men brandishing firearms licenses and later had a brief alliance with Ulster Resistance, which was not an illegal organisation, but was set up to defend border protestants that the British Government was ignoring.
In 1985 he and the other members of his DUP resigned from Parliament at Westminster in a protest and was returned in the resultant by-election.
10 Famous Quotes
10.1 Infamous Quotes
- When Terence O'Neill held a meeting with Sean Lemass, Paisley shouted "No mass! No Lemass!"
- After a Loyalist rally in 1968, Ian Paisely justified his violent anti-Catholic pleas by saying, "Catholic homes caught fire because they were loaded with petrol bombs; Catholic churches were attacked and burned because they were arsenals and priests handed out sub-machine guns to parishioners; and the massive discrimination in employment and shortage of houses for Catholics were simply because they breed like "rabbits" and multiply like "vermin".
- In reference to the Unionist party's Jewish candidate, Harold Smith, he said, "The Unionist party are boasting he [Harold Smith] is a Jew. As a Jew, he rejects our Lord Jesus Christ, the New Testament, Protestant principles, the Glorious Reformation and the sanctity of the Lord's day. The Protestant throne and the Protestant constitution are nothing to him."
- In 1968, in a heated debate with the fierce Republican Bernadette Devlin, he responded to her accusations of his unfair assumptions by saying he, "would rather be British than be fair."
- During a visit from the Pope, Ian Paisley yelled "I denounce you. Anti-Christ" several times at the European Parliament. The whole affair can be heard on sermonaudio.com
10.2 Other Quotes
- "We are not prepared to stand idly by and be murdered in our beds."
11 External links
12 References
- Steve Bruce, God save Ulster! The religion and politics of Paisleyism. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1986.
- Dennis Cooke, Persecuting Zeal: a portrait of Ian Paisley, Brandon Books, 1996.
- Martha Abele Mac Iver, "Ian Paisley and the Reformed Tradition," Political Studies, September 1987.
- Ed Moloney & Andy Pollak, Paisley, Poolbeg Press, 1986.
- Clifford Smyth, Ian Paisley: Voice of Protestant Ulster. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic, 1987.
Paisley, Ian
Paisley, Ian
