An overview of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the centuries of conquest and politics that led to its violent conflicts and the eventual peace treaty.

For people living in Ireland and Northern Ireland, the phrase Bloody Sunday brings up pain and unimaginable loss.

Bloody Sunday was the tipping point in a struggle between Ireland and Britain in a period that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998. This period was known as 'the troubles.'

The troubles were defined by politically motivated street warfare. What was a war of Irish independence to some was decades of terrorist attacks to others.

Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland is the work of veteran journalist David McKittrick and history teacher David McVea.

This 2002 book probes the 20th-century political, religious, and social dynamics of the troubles. McKittrick and McVea chart the brutal fighting and bloody reprisals that led to hard-won political stability.