Samuel McCormick was a Northern Irish loyalist who served from 1973 until the 1980s as the brigadier for the

Ulster Defence Association The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and undertook an armed campaign of almost 24 years as one of t ...

's (UDA) East Belfast Brigade. He had taken over the command following the shooting death of its former leader

Tommy Herron Tommy Herron (1938 – 14 September 1973) was a Northern Irish loyalist and a leading member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) until his death in a fatal shooting. Herron controlled the UDA in East Belfast, one of its two earliest strong ...

East Belfast UDA brigadier

In September 1973, powerful East Belfast leader

was kidnapped and subsequently shot dead during an internal

(UDA) feud.Taylor, Peter (1999). ''Loyalists''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p.114 Although

Andy Tyrie Andrew Tyrie (born 5 February 1940) is a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary leader who served as commander of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) during much of its early history. He took the place of Tommy Herron in 1973 when the latter was ...

was the UDA's commander, there was intense rivalry between Herron and former UDA leader (and the organisation's founder),

Charles Harding Smith Charles Harding Smith (24 January 1931 – 1997) was a loyalist leader in Northern Ireland and the first effective leader of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). An important figure in the Belfast-based "defence associations" that formed the ba ...

. Upon Herron's killing, McCormick was appointed to succeed him as leader of the East Belfast Brigade. He was viewed as a disciplinarian with a bland, colourless personality. This suited the UDA leadership who felt that he presented a staid, responsible image in direct contrast to the flamboyantly corrupt Herron.McDonald, Henry & Cusack, Jim (2004): ''UDA - Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror''. Dublin: Penguin Ireland. p.68 He was a loyal supporter of Tyrie and when Harding Smith placed Tyrie under house arrest in his Glencairn home McCormick arranged for the UDA Chairman to be moved across Belfast to a new house in the east of the city.Steve Bruce, ''The Red Hand'', Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 105 His tenure as brigadier got off to an uneasy start. In February 1974, following UDA colonel Ned McCreery's release from internment, there was a raucous celebration held by him and his supporters which immediately escalated into a riot. The volatile McCreery and his men waged a gun battle in the streets of east Belfast against the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, resulting in the deaths of two men. One of the dead men, civilian Gary Reid, was a cousin of footballer

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest p ...

.McDonald, Henry & Cusack, Jim (2004). ''UDA - Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror''. Dublin: Penguin Ireland. p.70 McCormick, however, resolutely gained the upper hand by clamping down on the rioters. He soon restored order from the earlier mayhem, and under his stern command, the formerly chaotic brigade became one of the most disciplined units in the entire UDA. McCormick was arrested in 1982, along with leader Andy Tyrie, South Belfast brigadier

John McMichael John McMichael (9 January 1948 – 22 December 1987) was a Northern Irish loyalist who rose to become the most prominent and charismatic figure within the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) as the Deputy Commander and leader of its South Belf ...

, and several other UDA associates. The RUC had seized documents at the UDA headquarters which contained the names and addresses of senior law enforcement and judiciary figures.McDonald & Cusack. ''UDA''. p.123 The case against McCormick was never brought to trial. Andy Tyrie was the only person out of those arrested who was actually tried in court. The case subsequently fell apart when the defence argued that the UDA headquarters was used by many people, therefore it could not be shown with any degree of certainty as to whom the documents actually belonged.McDonald & Cusack. ''UDA'. p.124 McCormick stood down as East Belfast brigadier sometime in the 1980s and was replaced by

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccormick, Sammy Living people Ulster Defence Association members Paramilitaries from Belfast Year of birth missing (living people)