The Troubles, the 30-year sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, divided neighborhoods, friendships, and even families. When the Good Friday Agreement was reached in 1998, there were several attempts to preserve these histories, which included interviews with republican and loyalist paramilitary members and were to be housed under a confidentiality agreement at Boston College's Burns Library. But when the British government demanded access to the tapes in 2011, and the U.S. attorney general complied with a subpoena, controversy erupted. Should the tapes be held until interviewees died, as per the original agreement? Or should they be used to try paramilitary members for their actions during The Troubles? This site offers links to dozens of articles from around the web, as well as legal documents surrounding the case, radio interviews, and television specials from CNN, PBS, and the BBC. For educators teaching modern Irish history or for anyone interested in the ambiguities of international law or sectarian conflict and reconciliation, this site is a must read.
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