The Making of the Troubles in Northern Ireland

Abstract

result of historical inevitability, a war only postponed by the partition of Ireland in 1920? Or was it simply the result of an IRA plot which manipulated the civil rights movement? This article uses oral evidence, part of a wider oral history of the troubles in the making, to attempt an answer to these questions.' To date, most interpretations of the process leading up to the outbreak of violence in 1969 have been marked by preconceptions or the benefits of hindsight.2 We seek rather to unravel the complexity of participants' own perceptions, motivations and actions. Of course, the oral data we use is not 'innocent'; after all, many of our respondents are still involved in politics. Yet we found a remarkable ability in our respondents to recount their perceptions, feelings and views at the time. Nevertheless, as with all sources, caution should always be exercised. The historical issue we address is the transition, chaotic and rapid, from a civil rights movement (1966-8) to a bloody inter-communal strife (1969). This period sets the terms of reference for the twenty years of the troubles which followed and are thus a key historical conjuncture. Our narrative begins with the social world of the minority (Catholic) population in the mid1960s and the formation of a civil rights movement. It then proceeds to the marching period, majority (Protestant) backlash, and the outbreak of shooting which led to the return of British troops to the streets of Ireland.