With the recent re-ignition of political violence in Northern Ireland – IRA dissident groups shooting dead two army officers and a police constable – a period that most had hoped was consigned to history is suddenly making headlines again. Coming after a decade of peace, many commentators have drawn attention to the generation of young people for whom ‘the Troubles’ are simply something they learn about in school. The thousands of people who took to the streets to condemn the violence suggest that they are keen to confine this period to history lessons.
For those interested in re-visiting the academic literature on the subject to shed light on the current situation, IBSS offers a wealth of material. A search on ‘Northern Ireland’ and ‘Political violence’ brings up 347 results, and a subject search on the IRA 241 hits. Widening it to ‘Northern Ireland’ and ‘Conflict’ brings up 1188. Some articles take a long view of the troubles, for example ‘Irish republican politics and violence before the peace process, 1968-1994’, Marc Mulholland (2007); whereas many hone in on specific issues: for example ‘Meaning in the Maze: the heritage of Long Kesh’, B. Graham and S. McDowell (2007) looks at “the role of the former Long Kesh/Maze prison as one of the key heritage sites of the Northern Ireland conflict.”; or ‘Territoriality, alienation, and loyalist decommissioning: the case of the Shankill in Protestant West Belfast’, Neil Southern (2008) which looks at the post-conflict situation of one of the flashpoint areas of the conflict. Popular areas of research include the meaning of the famous mural art that emerged to express the sentiments of those involved in the conflict, for example: ‘Politics, painting and popular culture – the political wall murals of Northern Ireland’, Bill Rolston (1987), and ‘Local symbols, global networks: rereading the murals of Belfast’, Debbie Lisle (2006). Sectarianism and sport is another popular field.
For those wishing to go back further, there are two books that look useful: ‘Acts of Union: the causes, contexts, and consequences of the Act of Union’, D. Keogh and K. Whelan (2001); and ‘The Irish Act of Union, 1800: bicentennial essays’, Brown, Geoghegan and Kelly (2003).
The peace process itself has also generated a substantial literature of its own. A search on ‘Northern Ireland’ and ‘Peace process’ recalls 336 results, which look at the process from a variety of angles. ‘Beyond the wire: former prisoners and conflict transformation in Northern Ireland’ P. Shirlow and K. McEvoy (2008) looks at the key role many former combatants have played in leading communities through the peace process. Over 60 records look at the role of the political parties, among them ‘Polarisation or new moderation? Party politics since the GFA’ – a chapter in the book ‘A farewell to arms? Beyond the Good Friday Agreement’ (2006); and more than 70 address the role of civil society, among them ‘Global change, civil society and the Northern Ireland peace process: implementing the political settlement’ (2008) which includes chapters on the role of women in the peace process, as well as comparative analyses of other post-conflict societies, including Lebanon and South Africa.
There are relatively few articles assessing the likelihood of a return to violence, but one that does is ‘”They haven’t gone away, you know”. Irish republican “dissidents” and “armed struggle”, J. Tonge (2004) which notes that ‘The odds against militarist Republican “dissidents” appear overwhelming, as they lack weapons, members and support. Sinn Féin has carried most of the Nationalist constituency on its transition towards constitutionalism and the Irish Republic has abandoned its claim to Northern Ireland. Nonetheless, continued political uncertainty over the province’s political future has contributed to the maintenance of a long-standing militaristic tradition within Irish republicanism.’
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