The Troubles: A Dublin Story

The Troubles (Irish: Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although centred in Northern Ireland, violence at times spilled into the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe. The conflict arose from political and nationalistic disputes with a strong ethnic and sectarian dimension. Unionists and loyalists, mostly Ulster Protestants, wanted Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom, while Irish nationalists and republicans, mostly Irish Catholics, wanted it to join a united Ireland. Despite the division between Protestants and Catholics, it was not a religious war. Tensions escalated during a campaign by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association to end discrimination against the Catholic‑nationalist minority. The government attempted to suppress the protests, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was criticised for sectarianism and police brutality. Loyalists opposed the campaign, believing it was a front for republican activity. The August 1969 riots led to the deployment of British troops, in what became the British Army's longest operation. "Peace walls" were built to separate communities, and Catholic support for the Army declined after Bloody Sunday in 1972. The main participants included republican paramilitaries such as the Provisional IRA and INLA, loyalist paramilitaries such as the UVF and UDA, British state forces including the British Army and RUC, and political activists. The conflict involved guerrilla and bombing campaigns, sectarian tit‑for‑tat violence, feuds within and between paramilitary groups, counterinsurgency operations, incidents of collusion, riots, mass protests, civil disobedience, and the creation of temporary no‑go areas. More than 3,500 people were killed, of whom 52% were civilians, 32% were members of the British security forces, and 16% were members of paramilitary groups. Republican paramilitaries were responsible for 60% of total deaths, loyalist paramilitaries for 30%, and security forces for 10%. Loyalists were responsible for 48% of civilian deaths, republicans for 39%, and security forces for 10%. The Northern Ireland peace process led to paramilitary ceasefires and talks between the main political parties, resulting in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. It restored self‑governance on the basis of "power‑sharing" and included the principle of consent, civil and political rights, parity of esteem, police reform, paramilitary disarmament, and early release of prisoners. Sporadic violence has continued, including punishment attacks, loyalist gangs' control of organised crime, and violent crime linked to dissident republican groups.