Episode 50: The End of the Beginning

Belfast's streets erupt into bloodshed with 30 dead in the space of 5 days. Historian Éamon Phoenix tells Tara and Declan how his grandfather survived World War I only to come close to being killed in the sectarian violence blighting the city. Please be advised that some listener ... Show More

Treaty talks are reaching a critical point in London. In Belfast, Tara and Declan delve into the past at the Linenhall Library, while in Cork listener Robert Bogue has been learning about his grandfather's time in the Irish police. Meanwhile, Declan's hungry... 

Amid death and violence across the island of Ireland at this time, one incident stands out. The McMahon family is targeted one night by a gang believed to have been made up of RIC men, led by DI John Nixon. Tara and Declan hear how the Cavan man came to be linked to a number of k ... Show More

This year marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement, signed by politicians from Northern Ireland and the British and Irish governments in an attempt to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Over his 26 years at the BBC, Denis Murray reported extensively on the peace process, incl ... Show More

In 1998, the political parties in Northern Ireland reached a peace agreement that ended decades of war. But the Good Friday Agreement, as it became known, was only reached after days of frantic last-minute negotiations. In 2012, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Paul Murphy, the junior min ... Show More

IT'S the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement when a monumental task was achieved, and political divides agreed to peace in Northern Ireland.So what has that 67-page document meant for those living north of the border and for their futures, and can we ever really move on from ... Show More

Mark & guests discuss Northern Ireland's electoral pacts of the past and present. 

Matt Chorley speaks to the Irish Culture Minister Catherine Martin, Irish Ambassador to the UK Adrian O’Neill and visits a new exhibition showcasing negotiating documents to commemorate 100 years since the start of negotiations of the Anglo Irish treaty. PLUS David Aaronovitch an ... Show More

Jack Blanchard speaks to some of the key U.K. players involved in the passage of the Maastricht Treaty and ponders whether this was the moment which set Britain on the path to Brexit. Former British diplomat John Kerr recalls the epic all-night negotiations in Holland, including ... Show More

In a special anniversary episode 25 years on from the agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland, host Ailbhe Rea heads home to Belfast to retell the gripping story of how a historic compromise was reached. Former British PM Tony Blair and former Irish premier Bertie Ahern ... Show More

In Northern Ireland, it's gotten very complicated very quickly, after a historic election. The top party was Sinn Fein, a party that wants Northern Ireland out of the UK. Brexit has left the territory on a knife edge for years, and it all comes down to the Irish border. The elect ... Show More