Episode 21 - ’71 with Nick Baker

Today we’re discussing the 2014 film ’71 and its depiction of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Troubles was a period from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. The Troubles saw significant political unrest and violence waged by paramilitary organizations and British forces over the status of Northern Ireland. The majority of the island of Ireland had secured political independence from the United Kingdom and the British Empire by the mid-twentieth century, but Northern Ireland remained—and continues to remain—part of the UK. During the Troubles, Irish nationalists and republicans who were mostly Catholic wanted Northern Ireland to unite with the rest of Ireland; loyalists and unionists, mostly Protestants, wanted Northern Ireland to maintain its connection to the United Kingdom.

’71, a British-made movie, follows Gary Hook, a British soldier deployed to Belfast amid political unrest. Hook becomes isolated from his army unit in a republican-controlled part of the city and traverses Belfast to return to his unit. In doing so, Hook witnesses disturbing scenes of guerilla war.

Today we dig into the history behind the movie. Why did the Troubles begin, and why did they end? Does the film accurately depict Belfast in the 1970s, and how widespread was violence of the type shown in the film? How does the film depict relations between Catholics and Protestants, and how does that match the historical reality? And how do we think an Irish-made film would look different?

To discuss all this and more, I’m joined by Nick Baker. Nick is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Toronto whose research focuses on the history of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland.

For those who want to better understand a complicated event, have a look at David McKittrick and David McVea’s Making Sense of the Troubles: A History of the Northern Ireland Conflict, Revised and Updated (London: Penguin, 2012). Those interested in the IRA could consult Richard English’s Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (London: Macmillan, 2003), and those wanted to learn more about loyalism in Northern Ireland should read James W. McAuley and Graham Spencer, eds., Ulster Loyalism and the Good Friday Agreement: History, Identity, Change (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2011).

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