The DUP opposed the Sunningdale Agreement of 1973 . The Agreement was an attempt to resolve the conflict by setting up a new assembly and government for Northern Ireland in which unionists and Irish nationalists would share power . The Agreement also proposed the creation of a Council of Ireland , which would facilitate co-operation between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . The DUP won eight seats in the 1973 election to the Assembly . Along with other anti-Agreement unionists , the DUP formed the United Ulster Unionist Council ( UUUC ) to oppose the Agreement . In the February 1974 UK election , the UUUC won 11 out of 12 Northern Ireland seats , while the pro-Agreement unionists failed to win any . On 15 May 1974 , anti-Agreement unionists called a general strike aimed at bringing down the Agreement . The strike coordinating committee included DUP leader Paisley , the other UUUC leaders , and the leaders of the loyalist paramilitary groups . The strike lasted fourteen days and brought Northern Ireland to a standstill . Loyalist paramilitaries helped enforce the strike by blocking roads and intimidating workers . On the third day of the strike , loyalists detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan , killing 33 civilians . The strike led to the downfall of the Agreement on 28 May
detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan
Dublin and Monaghan bombings
Democratic Unionist Party