By Robbie Turner - The no-go areas were the barricaded self-governing urban districts, on both sides in the conflict, that sprung up in Belfast, Derry, and other towns during the years 1969 to 1972, of which so little has been written or indeed is known about. And yet when we look a little closer these... Continue Reading →
By Charitini (Hari) Ntini- In June 1985, twenty-two-year-old Martina Anderson was arrested in a flat in Glasgow along with four others by armed police officers. She was held and questioned for seven days before being flown to London for further interrogations. Within the next year, she was convicted of conspiring to cause explosions in England.[1]... Continue Reading →
By Luke Bradley - Recently, I saw the movie everybody’s talking about: Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast. As somebody born two years after the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, I am a part of the generation for whom, thankfully, cinema is the closest they will get to visualizing the ‘Troubles’. Of course, like any piece of historical fiction,... Continue Reading →
By Nolwenn Rousvoal- Parity of esteem was used as a conceptual tool in the early 1990s in Northern Ireland during the peace negotiation process in order to accommodate the aspirations of nationalists and unionists under the framework of “two traditions”. The idea behind this concept, which is enshrined in the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, was... Continue Reading →
By Roisín Higgins It was Christmas 1973 and a little girl drew a picture of the nativity. When her teacher asked ‘if the spiky shape above the stable was a star’, the girl replied, ‘Oh no, Miss – that’s the helicopter’. The child lived in the Creggan in Derry and her school was beside a... Continue Reading →
By Adam Fusco Five years after the United Kingdom voted to withdraw from the European Union, Brexit continues to shape the political imagination, particularly in places where the majority voted to Remain. In Northern Ireland its unintended offspring, the Northern Ireland Protocol, has come to dominate the political outlook, particularly within Unionism. For many Unionists,... Continue Reading →
By Aoife Duffy - Truth seeking when researching, investigating, and writing about the ‘Troubles’ presents many obstacles. In my book, Torture & Human Rights in Northern Ireland, about the 1971 security services operation that used torture on the ‘Hooded Men’, I argue that denial of security force abuses was the default UK government position.[i] Here,... Continue Reading →
By Megan Henvey The early medieval high crosses of Ireland may seem an unusual topic for a blog about the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, but exploration of their scholarly and civic treatment highlights the wide-ranging impact of the conflict and the religio-political divisions in the region, as well as indicating how far we’ve come, and... Continue Reading →
By Seán Brennan The ‘fallout’ from Michael D. Higgins’ refusal to attend a ‘reconciliation’ event, organised by ‘the four main churches’ in Armagh, in September 2021, appears to have created a ‘moment’ when it has become possible to openly critique the ‘peace process’ for the public good. With Northern Ireland lauded internationally as an exemplar... Continue Reading →
By Samantha Renee Haddad- On March 12, 1996, Gerry Adams spoke at a “Rally for Peace” in New York. The event was sponsored by influential Irish American organizations such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) and Irish Northern Aid (Noraid). While at the rally, Adams was confronted by a member of the Irish Lesbian... Continue Reading →
Writing the 'Troubles' 