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Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace
The complete history of Northern Ireland from the Irish Civil War to Brexit
“A wonderful book, beautifully written. . . . Informative and incisive.”— Irish Times
After two decades of relative peace following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, the Brexit referendum in 2016 reopened the Northern Ireland question. In this thoughtful and engaging book, Feargal Cochrane considers the region’s troubled history from the struggle for Irish independence in the nineteenth century to the present. New chapters explain the reasons for the suspension of devolved government at Stormont in 2017 and its restoration in 2020 as well as the consequences for Northern Ireland of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Providing a complete account of the province’s hundred-year history, this book is essential reading to understand the present dimensions of the Northern Irish conflict.
“A wonderful book, beautifully written. . . . Informative and incisive.”— Irish Times
After two decades of relative peace following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, the Brexit referendum in 2016 reopened the Northern Ireland question. In this thoughtful and engaging book, Feargal Cochrane considers the region’s troubled history from the struggle for Irish independence in the nineteenth century to the present. New chapters explain the reasons for the suspension of devolved government at Stormont in 2017 and its restoration in 2020 as well as the consequences for Northern Ireland of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Providing a complete account of the province’s hundred-year history, this book is essential reading to understand the present dimensions of the Northern Irish conflict.
384 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2021
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239 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 8, 2023
“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” -Maya Angelou
A few of the things I learned by reading Feargal Cochrane’s Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace:
I learned that on Bloody Sunday (30 January 1972) British Soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians in the Bogside area of Derry, killing fourteen and wounding at least twelve others.
I learned that on Bloody Friday (21 July 1972) at least twenty bombs exploded in Belfast, all within a very short span of hours, killing nine people and injuring well over one hundred others.
I learned that the Shankill Road Bombing (IRA, 23 October 1993) in Belfast wounded more than fifty people and killed ten others—two of which were innocent children.
I learned that Bernadette Devlin and Mo Mowlam were both instrumental in changing the sociopolitical landscape of GB-NIR.
I learned that the Good Friday Agreement (GFA, 10 April 1998) dramatically reduced the violence but it did not eliminate it.
A few thoughts I had while reading Feargal Cochrane’s Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace:
While I am in agreement with much of the anti-colonial critique of Irish Nationalists, I am not onboard with all the paramilitary bullshit. The self proclaimed New IRA (NIRA), with its punishment practice of “kneecapping,” is fortunate that accounts of their barbarity are rarely reported beyond the BBC and its affiliates. To my mind, their thuggery is strikingly similar to that of the Proud Boys here in the US - I say that because the murder of 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee in Derry, N. Ireland (2019) brought to mind the murder of 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia (2017) - two young and highly intelligent women who posed no threat to anyone, cut down in senseless acts of violence.
This was the perfect read for me prior to my first visit to Belfast. I saw firsthand the memorial placards to The Troubles (many of which had start dates but ominously no end dates). I stood in front of the famous Europa Hotel (the most bombed hotel in all of Europe). I discovered Falls Road (where Sinn Féin signs and banners were noticeably abundant). And I walked on the campus of Queen’s University (the alma mater of Conor Murphy, Nigel Dodds, and Mark Durkan). Cochrane in no way limits his discussion of Northern Ireland to Belfast, but so much of what he has to say is rooted there, directly or indirectly, that I consider this essential reading for anyone planning a pilgrimage. Five stars.
A few of the things I learned by reading Feargal Cochrane’s Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace:
I learned that on Bloody Sunday (30 January 1972) British Soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians in the Bogside area of Derry, killing fourteen and wounding at least twelve others.
I learned that on Bloody Friday (21 July 1972) at least twenty bombs exploded in Belfast, all within a very short span of hours, killing nine people and injuring well over one hundred others.
I learned that the Shankill Road Bombing (IRA, 23 October 1993) in Belfast wounded more than fifty people and killed ten others—two of which were innocent children.
I learned that Bernadette Devlin and Mo Mowlam were both instrumental in changing the sociopolitical landscape of GB-NIR.
I learned that the Good Friday Agreement (GFA, 10 April 1998) dramatically reduced the violence but it did not eliminate it.
A few thoughts I had while reading Feargal Cochrane’s Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace:
While I am in agreement with much of the anti-colonial critique of Irish Nationalists, I am not onboard with all the paramilitary bullshit. The self proclaimed New IRA (NIRA), with its punishment practice of “kneecapping,” is fortunate that accounts of their barbarity are rarely reported beyond the BBC and its affiliates. To my mind, their thuggery is strikingly similar to that of the Proud Boys here in the US - I say that because the murder of 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee in Derry, N. Ireland (2019) brought to mind the murder of 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia (2017) - two young and highly intelligent women who posed no threat to anyone, cut down in senseless acts of violence.
This was the perfect read for me prior to my first visit to Belfast. I saw firsthand the memorial placards to The Troubles (many of which had start dates but ominously no end dates). I stood in front of the famous Europa Hotel (the most bombed hotel in all of Europe). I discovered Falls Road (where Sinn Féin signs and banners were noticeably abundant). And I walked on the campus of Queen’s University (the alma mater of Conor Murphy, Nigel Dodds, and Mark Durkan). Cochrane in no way limits his discussion of Northern Ireland to Belfast, but so much of what he has to say is rooted there, directly or indirectly, that I consider this essential reading for anyone planning a pilgrimage. Five stars.
October 26, 2023
One of the best and most measured books I’ve read on the Northern Irish troubles - the final arduous chapter in the long story of Irish independence from colonial Great Britain. Including fresh perspectives on the past, a bipartisan recounting of the conflict, a detailed and layered overview of the GFA process in the late 1990s and perhaps most refreshing - the importance of highlighting that this is not a finished conflict but a paused one - where local and global geopolitical moves continually stress the fragile peace, causing it to groan and creak under the immense instability and divides in the region and where dissident paramilitary organisation lie poised and ready to return to violence. The final chapter, look to the future, and have directed my gaze to upcoming political events that are set to challenge not only the GFA but the stability of the region. With tables turning toward nationalist majorities and the increase of non-partisan immigration to the region aligned with EU membership - it is highly possible that we will not only see a historic border poll completed in the near future - but the disentangling of the peace process and a return to conflict within a new and United Ireland.
August 13, 2024
I read this book for four reasons (and I suspect you'll need similar ones)
* I had traveled to Northern Ireland for the first time for a week
* I saw an special exhibition on the history of "The Troubles" at the Belfast Museum told through videos, art, poster, and artifacts
* As an American, I was aware of strife between the IRA and unionists both from the news and via fiction (TV, novels, notably the superb Harry's Game). The IRA bombing campaign against British targets became front page news during my adulthood.
* The book is recent, covering up to 2022 and seemed well-balanced and analytical - it was not partisan
From far away, it was always hard in my mind how a modern European citizenry would engage in a seemingly endless armed conflict -- couldn't they all just get on with life and making a living for their families? Hadn't we given all that Catholic v. Protestant up after the Thirty Years War? (I think Europeans thought the same about the wars when Yugoslavia broke out - how could people be so barbaric?)
Well, Cochrane is a Professor specializing in political violence and as he grew up in Belfast during the times in question, had more than a passing interest. So, he was well-equipped to initiate the reader into the deep origins (17th Century) of Northern Ireland, the Great Famine (1840s), Irish partition, the war years, and then, the impact of the Civil Rights movement that was the spark that lit the tinder of the conflagration.
I'm not going to try and repeat the history because it is well, complicated and nuanced. A few salient bits stood out to me:
* The Ulster Plantation, basically a mass migration of Scots/English in the early 17th century (to where Northern Ireland is today) set the stage for a decades-long dispossession of native Catholic land
* The Great Famine laid in a deep resentment by the rural Irish against the colonial British power in faraway London
* The structure of the Ulster parliament after partition in 1921 cemented 1 party rule for the Protestant unionists. They used such power to deliver the "spoils" to their constituents. This became a flashpoint over housing, which in the UK was seen as a public right but new housing was rarely built/allocated to Catholics
* Combined with obvious economic inequality, long-standing Irish resistance to the British (the IRA), and ham-handed police response to protestors (Bloody Sunday, 1972), the stage was set for paramilitary conflict.
Since the NI government was controlled by the Unionists, and because the police force was overwhelmingly unionist in attitude, there was no local neutral party to adjudicate conflict and reduce tensions. There were just two diametrically opposite parties who essentially had eliminationist objectives.
The government back in London wanted NI to sort itself out and when that became impossible, the army was sent in and local government dissolved. This only escalated the conflict. Since I read this amidst the US 2024 Presidential election and our partisan rhetoric is sometimes not far from what was spouted by Sinn Fein or the DUP or UUP, it can be scary considering the analogies.
The bulk of the middle of the book is over the peace process, something that only started making headway once Clinton got involved and the parties realized that the violence was getting them nowhere towards victory.
The last 25% of the book is post Good Friday Agreement (1998) and how NI attempted to self-govern with fits and starts and more fits. Ireland joining the EU helps. London really, really wanted NI to self-govern (and still does). Brexit throws a huge wrench into the picture and in ways more complex than just the borders and how goods will flow freely (or not). Then there's COVID that really focused the minds of the warring politicians.
I had thought that folks in mainland Britain (England-Scotland-Wales) felt that NI was part of the UK (as much as New Yorkers feel Texas is a part of the US) and hence it would be unimaginable that NI would leave the UK and unite with the Republic of Ireland. But Cochrane I think nailed it when he asserts that mainland Brits think of Northern Ireland more analogous to British Gibraltar or British Falklands. If the folks in those territories wanted to become Spanish (Argentinians), then "Ok", no big deal. Hence, if NI decided that its economic future would be better as part of the EU rather than as part of Brexit UK, then "great!"
Overall, I'll admit that the book unfolds like required reading in an advanced Poli Sci course on the Irish conflict. It is not a journalist or popular history account. Hence, you have to have a good reason to want to read this (which I did, see first paragraph). But it kept my interest throughout and since I had lived through the portions starting in the 1960s, I could relate / recall many of the key incidents and players. It was balanced and not partisan. It was about how parties that didn't want to agree, ended up agreeing and managed to stay (more-or-less) in peaceful agreement. Had they not, and NI were still covered in army checkpoints and pubs, businesses, markets, and hotels regularly blown up, I doubt I ever would have visited. But I had a delightful time and the place was "normal" (or at least the places we went). Yes there were the occasional mural or flag that marked a partisan but one didn't feel any undercurrent of tension.
Several photos and one map.
* I had traveled to Northern Ireland for the first time for a week
* I saw an special exhibition on the history of "The Troubles" at the Belfast Museum told through videos, art, poster, and artifacts
* As an American, I was aware of strife between the IRA and unionists both from the news and via fiction (TV, novels, notably the superb Harry's Game). The IRA bombing campaign against British targets became front page news during my adulthood.
* The book is recent, covering up to 2022 and seemed well-balanced and analytical - it was not partisan
From far away, it was always hard in my mind how a modern European citizenry would engage in a seemingly endless armed conflict -- couldn't they all just get on with life and making a living for their families? Hadn't we given all that Catholic v. Protestant up after the Thirty Years War? (I think Europeans thought the same about the wars when Yugoslavia broke out - how could people be so barbaric?)
Well, Cochrane is a Professor specializing in political violence and as he grew up in Belfast during the times in question, had more than a passing interest. So, he was well-equipped to initiate the reader into the deep origins (17th Century) of Northern Ireland, the Great Famine (1840s), Irish partition, the war years, and then, the impact of the Civil Rights movement that was the spark that lit the tinder of the conflagration.
I'm not going to try and repeat the history because it is well, complicated and nuanced. A few salient bits stood out to me:
* The Ulster Plantation, basically a mass migration of Scots/English in the early 17th century (to where Northern Ireland is today) set the stage for a decades-long dispossession of native Catholic land
* The Great Famine laid in a deep resentment by the rural Irish against the colonial British power in faraway London
* The structure of the Ulster parliament after partition in 1921 cemented 1 party rule for the Protestant unionists. They used such power to deliver the "spoils" to their constituents. This became a flashpoint over housing, which in the UK was seen as a public right but new housing was rarely built/allocated to Catholics
* Combined with obvious economic inequality, long-standing Irish resistance to the British (the IRA), and ham-handed police response to protestors (Bloody Sunday, 1972), the stage was set for paramilitary conflict.
Since the NI government was controlled by the Unionists, and because the police force was overwhelmingly unionist in attitude, there was no local neutral party to adjudicate conflict and reduce tensions. There were just two diametrically opposite parties who essentially had eliminationist objectives.
The government back in London wanted NI to sort itself out and when that became impossible, the army was sent in and local government dissolved. This only escalated the conflict. Since I read this amidst the US 2024 Presidential election and our partisan rhetoric is sometimes not far from what was spouted by Sinn Fein or the DUP or UUP, it can be scary considering the analogies.
The bulk of the middle of the book is over the peace process, something that only started making headway once Clinton got involved and the parties realized that the violence was getting them nowhere towards victory.
The last 25% of the book is post Good Friday Agreement (1998) and how NI attempted to self-govern with fits and starts and more fits. Ireland joining the EU helps. London really, really wanted NI to self-govern (and still does). Brexit throws a huge wrench into the picture and in ways more complex than just the borders and how goods will flow freely (or not). Then there's COVID that really focused the minds of the warring politicians.
I had thought that folks in mainland Britain (England-Scotland-Wales) felt that NI was part of the UK (as much as New Yorkers feel Texas is a part of the US) and hence it would be unimaginable that NI would leave the UK and unite with the Republic of Ireland. But Cochrane I think nailed it when he asserts that mainland Brits think of Northern Ireland more analogous to British Gibraltar or British Falklands. If the folks in those territories wanted to become Spanish (Argentinians), then "Ok", no big deal. Hence, if NI decided that its economic future would be better as part of the EU rather than as part of Brexit UK, then "great!"
Overall, I'll admit that the book unfolds like required reading in an advanced Poli Sci course on the Irish conflict. It is not a journalist or popular history account. Hence, you have to have a good reason to want to read this (which I did, see first paragraph). But it kept my interest throughout and since I had lived through the portions starting in the 1960s, I could relate / recall many of the key incidents and players. It was balanced and not partisan. It was about how parties that didn't want to agree, ended up agreeing and managed to stay (more-or-less) in peaceful agreement. Had they not, and NI were still covered in army checkpoints and pubs, businesses, markets, and hotels regularly blown up, I doubt I ever would have visited. But I had a delightful time and the place was "normal" (or at least the places we went). Yes there were the occasional mural or flag that marked a partisan but one didn't feel any undercurrent of tension.
Several photos and one map.
January 6, 2026
Very readable but also extremely detailed. Was a great way to learn more about the complicated history and politics of N.I.
January 30, 2022
On the occasion of Northern Ireland’s centenary, Cochrane delivers a timely and comprehensive history of Northern Ireland, from the first Protestant plantation in Ulster, through the 1921 partition, the Troubles, the Good Friday Agreement, to Brexit and the pandemic. Both objective and insightful, “A Fragile Peace” is a must read for anyone wanting a thorough understanding of this often convoluted issue.
February 23, 2024
A truly excellent book on northern Ireland, boy oh boy. This is a phat ol' book but it's so so interesting, and I can't praise Cochrane enough for his writing - it was definitely a long one to read but each individual page was engaging and well-presented (and frequently even funny!) and I had a crackin' time. I'd be really interested to see what someone with more of a personal stake thought about his approach, but from my perspective it seemed that he did a good job of balancing the two sides and that his many caveats were sensitive to both.
May 8, 2024
Very thorough and peppered with personal histories and profiles of major stakeholders, the audiobook was enjoyable, as it felt more lively than reading the information off a page. That said, it also felt rather longer than I'd bargained for. It was sometimes more difficult to connect the pieces of the puzzle than it would have been reading a paper or ebook edition.
March 13, 2022
Book 11/52: Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace (2021), by Feargal Cochrane. This is for a project I’m working on, which a number of my next-in-line books are. This was an audio book - and a long one at that, about 17.5 hrs worth. I stopped to take notes or jot down thoughts a lot as I listened. It’s a truly wonderful account of the history, and current situation, of my home: Northern Ireland. Cochrane brings a political scientist’s eye and analytical framework, a former resident’s anecdote and first-person experience, a shrewd reading of the proverbial tea leaves…and a dose of the occasionally-bemused to his writing. This is the newest edition, updated and revised for Brexit and all that it means. I look forward to my chance to chat about the book with the author directly in the coming weeks. #52in22 #amreading
November 25, 2024
Was searching for a more in depth review of the history of North Ireland and this book provided everything I was looking for and more. Previous readings only gave me perspectives of the Provisional IRA and the Nationalist agenda, while this book offered both unionist and nationalist views from 1921 all the way to present day.
Northern Ireland is a beautiful place, but is full of so many political, social, and cultural contradictions. The differences are so much more complex than just being “Protestant vs. Catholic”. This book really dove into the “fragile peace” that holds everything in the balance.
Northern Ireland is a beautiful place, but is full of so many political, social, and cultural contradictions. The differences are so much more complex than just being “Protestant vs. Catholic”. This book really dove into the “fragile peace” that holds everything in the balance.
July 15, 2024
I wanted a potted history of Northern Ireland, and that is what I got. Whilst it did not go into the same level of detail on specific events as other books, it was able to provide an overall, impartial narrative that gave me the context I needed.
June 8, 2025
I’ve read a lot of books on The Troubles and most of them just sort of stop when the Good Friday Agreement is signed in 1998, but this book shared what Northern Ireland is like today, which was welcome information. Great, highly educational read.
April 3, 2024
Very readable yet comprehensive history of Northern Island over the past 100 years.
December 23, 2024
*4.5
Fantastiskt bra förklarat och en genomgång av hela konflikten verkligen. Lite minus bara för att pacing av historien var lite off. Kan också va författarens intresseområden som styr lite.
Fantastiskt bra förklarat och en genomgång av hela konflikten verkligen. Lite minus bara för att pacing av historien var lite off. Kan också va författarens intresseområden som styr lite.
November 28, 2025
Ongoing hyper fixation
January 22, 2026
Very informative and well written.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews