2. The Troubles, 1968-98

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About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we trace events from the start of the Troubles to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, focusing in particular on: (i) the importance of Special Category Status for those convicted of crimes related to the Troubles and the protests that followed the removal of Special Category Status in 1976; (ii) the importance of the election of Bobby Sands as MP in 1981; (iii) the work of John Hume and the SDLP alongside Sinn Fein in pushing for a political solution in Northern Ireland; (iv) the 1995 Anglo-Irish Agreement and its unpopularity with Unionists; and (v) the election of Tony Blair in 1997 and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998.

Course

In this course, Dr Catherine McGlynn (University of Huddersfield) explores the politics of Northern Ireland, from the opening of the first Northern Irish Parliament in 1921 to the present day. We begin in the first module by tracing the history of conflict in Northern Ireland up to the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement in 1974. After that, we think about the Troubles, focusing on the key questions of why they broke out and why they came to an end. In the third module, we think about the development of devolution in Ireland, culminating in the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, before turning in the fourth and final module to think about the state of Northern Irish politics today, focusing in particular on the major political parties in Northern Ireland and prospects for the future.

Lecturer

Dr Catherine McGlynn is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Huddersfield. Her research interests encompass terrorism, British politics and national conflicts.