The UVF 's declared goals were to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Irish Republican Army ( IRA ) – and to maintain Northern Ireland 's status as part of the United Kingdom . It was responsible for more than 500 deaths . The vast majority ( more than two-thirds ) of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians , who were often killed at random . During the conflict , its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurk 's Bar bombing , which killed fifteen civilians . The group also carried out attacks in the Republic of Ireland from 1969 onward . The biggest of these was the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings , which killed 34 civilians , making it the deadliest terrorist attack of the conflict . The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades . The Mid-Ulster Brigade was also responsible for the 1975 Miami Showband killings , in which three members of the popular Irish cabaret band were shot dead at a bogus military checkpoint by gunmen in British Army uniforms . Two UVF men were accidentally blown up in this poorly planned attack . The UVF 's last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre , in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub . Until recent years , it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited , selective membership . The other main loyalist paramilitary group during the conflict was the Ulster Defence Association ( UDA ) , which had a much larger membership
Miami Showband killings
Miami Showband killings
Ulster Volunteer Force