Tracing the Peace Line in Northern Ireland

Noel Large was a cold-blooded gunman for a Protestant paramilitary group during “The Troubles,” a period of bombings, shootings, and political turbulence that rocked Northern Ireland in the 20th century. Today, he’s a reconciliation activist, working alongside Catholics to keep the peace. Although the situation is more stable today, Catholic and Protestant communities remain divided in cities across Northern Ireland, by physical barriers known as “Peace Walls.”

 

On the centenary of Northern Ireland’s birth, we look at the lines and borders that define it. We tag along with Noel on a tour of Belfast’s “Peace Walls.” Then, Ray Suarez speaks with historian Margaret O’Callaghan and journalist Susan McKay about Northern Ireland’s past, and what changes the future may hold in a post-Brexit world.

 

Guests: 

 

Noel Large, tour guide, Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Center  

Susan McKay, journalist and author of “Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground”

Margaret O’Callaghan, historian, Queen’s University, Belfast

 

Host:

 

Ray Suarez, co-host, WorldAffairs

 

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