To many people the 30-year war in Northern Ireland/6-Counties began on the 5 th October 1968 with the violent attack by police on civil rights demonstrators in Derry city. The Battle of the Bogside in August 1969 and the eruptions of violence across the province led the reintroduction of British soldiers on the streets of Northern Ireland for the first time since the early 1920’s. The perceived failure of the Irish Republican Army to defend the nationalist population in Belfast led to a split on that organization and the founding of the Provisional IRA. The provisional IRA were committed to not only defensive actions but also to going on the offensive to remove British soldiers from Northern Ireland, to destroying the Unionist dominated political system, and the achievement of a united Ireland.

The presentation will focus on the major events of the 30-year period and explain the process that led to the 1998 Peace Agreement.

Presenter: Sean Murphy was born and reared in Dublin and came to live on Cape Cod in 2005. He has a passion for his homeland and loves to share his knowledge and interest about his heritage through classes, workshops and conversation. He is a teacher of Irish history, music, and dance. Over the past fifteen years he has taught courses at the Irish Cultural Center of New England in Canton, Cape Cod Sons of Erin, Cape Cod Cultural Center, the Cotuit Center for the Arts, and at venues on Nantucket. Sean Murphy has a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree from Trinity College Dublin’s department of Economic and Social Studies; a BSC in Mathematics and Physics from London University; and qualified as a Management Accountant with the Dublin Business School. He is a nationally certified Business Mentor.

Registration is required for this online Zoom event.