Johnny Adair: Mad Dog of the Shankill

About this episode

This episode explores the life and actions of Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair played a significant role in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He commanded the UDA's C Company and through his leadership they enacted a fierce campaign of violence against Republican paramilitaries and the Nationalist population as a whole. For the first time in the Troubles, loyalists were out-killing republicans and much of this was down to the actions of C Company. But Adair wanted more power and ended up taking the fight to fellow loyalists, as he ousted the UVF from the Shankill. But this move would see the full weight of the UDA come down upon him, and would lead to his expulsion from Northern Ireland. This is the story of Johnny Adair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Oisin Feeney

Topics covered

• Northern Ireland
• loyalist paramilitaries
• violence
• Johnny Adair
• UDA
• history of the Troubles

Keywords

• Johnny Adair
• UDA
• Shankill
• loyalists
• violence
• Northern Ireland
• Troubles

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UDA, UVF

Places: Northern Ireland, Shankill

More episodes of The Troubles Podcast

• Interview with Johnny Adair · May 13, 2026 · 1h 24m
• Brendan 'The Dark' Hughes · March 24, 2026 · 1h 20m
• NORAID: Irish America's Secret War · February 10, 2026 · 33 min
• The Northern Bank Robbery · January 27, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Interview with Alan Black - The Sole Survivor of the Kingsmill Massacre · January 5, 2026 · 1h 10m
• The Disappeared: Buried but Not Forgotten · December 22, 2025 · 1h 7m