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Paisley smuggled a girl to Scotland
The Maura Lyons case
The girl was Maura Lyons, and the story was massive. Paisley was absolutely unrepentant. He did what he always did when he was in trouble and called a rally in the Ulster Hall in Belfast, where he told the crowd he would be proud to do time for Protestant liberty. It was the first time he really came to public attention.
Paisley's background
Paisley was born in Armagh in 1926. His father was a Baptist minister who had served in Sir Edward Carson's volunteers, and Paisley preached his first sermon at 16. At six foot four he was a massive man. In 1951 he set up his own Calvinist church, the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, which holds that the Bible is literally true and that the established churches of Ulster are weak, soft, Romish sellouts.
Showman and publisher
He had a flair for publicity and a costume to go with it. In this period he wore a black suit, a white clerical collar, and a huge white belted coat that suited his size. He wore an Orangeman's sash when the occasion called for it. In his first prayer meetings a nun popped up like a jack in the box, an escapee from a convent who had been the victim of overtures from monks and other nuns. His newspaper, the Protestant Telegraph, ran headlines such as priestly murders exposed, children tortured, and monks turned out as sadists. In Northern Ireland, where religious identity mattered so much, he found a ready audience.
Where did the Free Presbyterians begin?
Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster was founded on 17 March 1951 at Crossgar, County Down. It began as a breakaway from a Presbyterian congregation after a dispute over the use of a hall. Paisley served as its moderator from the beginning until he stepped down in 2008. It later spread congregations to Britain, North America, and Australia.
How far did Paisley's career eventually go?
Paisley was elected to the Stormont parliament in April 1970 and to Westminster for North Antrim two months later. He kept the Westminster seat until 2010. In May 2007 he became First Minister of Northern Ireland, sharing power with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness as deputy. He died in September 2014.
Why was the Ulster Hall a rally venue?
The Ulster Hall opened in 1862 and was one of Belfast's largest public halls. Lord Randolph Churchill used it in February 1886 to rally opponents of the first Home Rule bill. The hall later became a concert venue, and Led Zeppelin played Stairway to Heaven there live for the first time in March 1971.
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