A political history of the SDLP and Sinn Féin, from the onset of The Troubles in 1970 to the present day. It outlines the ideological and electoral rivalry between the two parties and assesses the contribution of both to the reshaping of modern nationalist politics in Northern Ireland. Drawing on interviews with prominent Sinn Féin members, the authors examine the dynamics of Republican politics since 1970, explaining why armed struggle was replaced by electoral politics, and why Sinn Féin is likely to consolidate its position as the primary representative of Northern Ireland's nationalists.

The SDLP has consistently defined the Northern Ireland problem as one of a divided people, rather than a territorial issue. Therefore, it raises the important question: how much revision from the traditional nationalist perspective does the SDLP portray, if at all, from the mid-70s onwards? The major objective of this study is to investigate the tensions within the party over its political identity. From the SDLP viewpoint, the huge 'yes' vote (in the 22nd May, 1998 Referendum after this book went to press), offers the greatest hope in Northern Ireland's history that Catholics and Protestants can live together on the basis of respect and equality.

Since the plantation of Ulster in the 17th century, Northern Irish people have been engaged in conflict - Catholic against Protestant, Republican against Unionist. This text explores the pivotal moments in this history.

The Long War is a timely book, given the ongoing events taking place in Northern Ireland. It chronicles the very active history of the relationship among the IRA, Sinn Fein, and the British government from the early 1980s to today. The author has spoken with many of the participants on all sides and has included material that updates the book right up to the latest peace talks.

Gerry Adams'personal statement on the meaning, importance, and inspiration of modern Irish republicanism.

Richard English's brilliant new book, now available in paperback, is a compelling narrative history of Irish nationalism, in which events are not merely recounted but analysed. Full of rich detail, drawn from years of original research and also from the extensive specialist literature on the subject, it offers explanations of why Irish nationalists have believed and acted as they have, why their ideas and strategies have changed over time, and what effect Irish nationalism has had in shaping modern Ireland. It takes us from the Ulster Plantation to Home Rule, from the Famine of 1847 to the Hunger Strikes of the 1970s, from Parnell to Pearse, from Wolfe Tone to Gerry Adams, from the bitter struggle of the Civil War to the uneasy peace of the early twenty-first century. Is it imaginable that Ireland might – as some have suggested – be about to enter a post-nationalist period? Or will Irish nationalism remain a defining force on the island in future years? 'a courageous and successful attempt to synthesise the entire story between two covers for the neophyte and for the exhausted specialist alike' Tom Garvin, Irish Times

Fifteen minutes before five o'clock on Good Friday, 1998, Senator George Mitchell was informed that his long and difficult quest for an Irish peace accord had succeeded--the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland, and the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, would sign the agreement. Now Mitchell, who served as independent chairman of the peace talks for the length of the process, tells us the inside story of the grueling road to this momentous accord. For more than two years, Mitchell, who was Senate majority leader under Presidents Bush and Clinton, labored to bring together parties whose mutual hostility--after decades of violence and mistrust--seemed insurmountable: Sinn Fein, represented by Gerry Adams; the Catholic moderates, led by John Hume; the majority Protestant party, headed by David Trimble; Ian Paisley's hard-line unionists; and, not least, the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, headed by Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair. The world watched as the tense and dramatic process unfolded, sometimes teetering on the brink of failure. Here, for the first time, we are given a behind-the-scenes view of the principal players--the personalities who shaped the process--and of the contentious, at times vitriolic, proceedings. We learn how, as the deadline approached, extremist violence and factional intransigence almost drove the talks to collapse. And we witness the intensity of the final negotiating session, the interventions of Ahern and Blair, the late-night phone calls from President Clinton, a last-ditch attempt at disruption by Paisley, and ultimately an agreement that, despite subsequent inflammatory acts aimed at destroying it, has set Northern Ireland's future on track toward a more lasting peace.