Northern Ireland

First published in 1974, Northern Ireland is a collection of documents which constitutes an illuminating description and analysis of the complex religious, political, social, and economic factors that underlie the Irish conflict. The author goes back to the seventeenth century to find the roots of the troubles. All sides of the argument are represented in documents which range from government statements to Provisional and Official IRA manifestos. They propose answers to various questions: why are there two separate communities in Northern Ireland, and why are they so bitterly divided? Why has there been no rapprochement between the North and South for over fifty years? A balanced factual account of the Civil Rights movement, and of the gradual disintegration of the once omnipotent Ulster Unionist party is given. The final section deals with the arrangements suggested for Northern Ireland and with the prospects of establishing a kind of all-Ireland institution.

John Magee was educated at University College, Dublin, from which he graduated with first class honours in Modern History. At the time of the first publication, he was Principal Lecturer and Head of the History Department at St Joseph's College of Education, Belfast.

Introduction 1. The genesis of the Ulster question 2. The constitution and political institutions of Northern Ireland 3. Ulster under home rule 4. Revolution and change