Concise Introduction to Northern Ireland (Very Short Introductions)

From the plantation of Ulster in the 17th century to the entry into peace talks in the late 20th century, the Northern Irish people have been engaged in conflict - Catholic against Protestant, Republican against Unionist. This completely revised edition of Marc Mulholland's Very Short Introduction explores the pivotal moments in Northern Irish history, including the rise of republicanism in the 1800s, Home Rule and the civil rights movement, the growth of Sinn Fein and the provisional IRA, and the DUP, before bringing the story up to date.

The traumas of violence in the Northern Ireland Troubles have cast a long shadow, and for many years, this appeared to be an intractable conflict with no pathway out. However, when peace was painfully built in the 1990s and early 21st century, it brought together unlikely rivals, making Northern Ireland a model for conflict resolution internationally.

Mulholland's book draws on newly available memoirs by paramilitary militants to offer previously unexplored perspectives, as well as recent work on Northern Irish gender relations. He also includes a new chapter on the state of affairs in 21st-century Northern Ireland, considering the question of Irish unity in the light of both Brexit and the approaching anniversary of the 1921 partition, and drawing new lessons for the future.

The Northern Ireland problem remains a fundamental issue as the United Kingdom recasts its relationship with Europe and the world. Mass mobilisations of people and dramatic political crises punctuated a seemingly endless succession of bloodshed, but the disagreement about the future of the province remains, and for the first time in decades, one can now seriously speak of a democratic end to the Union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain as a foreseeable possibility.

The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area, and these pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Mulholland's revised edition combines facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make this interesting and challenging topic highly readable.

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