Mapquest: Northern Ireland /Belfast

In Brian Moore’s „Lies of Silence“, we are confronted with life in Belfast at the end of the last century. The protagonist Dillon and his wife Moira are held hostage by members of t he IRA in their own house and Dillon is forced to plant a bomb in the hotel he works. The following map quest should help you to get some insights into the background of the Northern Irish conflict and give you an idea about the circumstances people in Belfast were in at that time. With the background information, you should have a better understanding about the dilemmas the main characters find themselves in.

Questions:

1) When where the worst periods in the Northern Irish conflict, also called „The Troubles“?

2) What was at the bottom of the conflict?

3) What is the „Good Friday Agreement“ and when was it signed?

4) The IRA was involved in the violent disputes. Who was the IRA and who else was involved?

5) How many people were killed between 1969 and 2001?

6) The IRA operated also outside of Northern Ireland. Where else did they give out warnings about bombs and plant bombs respectively?

7) What became of the IRA after the Good Friday Agreement?

8) David Trimble became first Minister of Northern Irish parliament. However, after less than two years he resigned. What events had led him  to his decision?

Useful webpages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles

http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/buildings/bombing.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2002/04/21/do2101.xml

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108101.html