These Divided Isles

Ireland is Britain’s closest neighbour – the sea crossing from Scotland measures only 12 miles. It was also its first captive in what became Britain’s empire. The two nation’s stories have been intertwined since Anglo-Norman invaders crossed the Irish Sea during the 12th century. ‘These Troubled Isles’ tells the extraordinary history of the past century in this tumultuous relationship, from the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1922 to the present day. This is a tale of deep division between Catholic nationalism and Protestant unionism, of wars and terrorist violence, and of occasional moments of great courage on the part of British and Irish leaders.