Ireland's Violent Frontier

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 1-16

3. The Border and Anglo-Irish Relations 1969–73

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 17-48

4. Security Co-operation and Sunningdale

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 49-77

5. The ‘Anti-National Coalition’ and Security Co-operation

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 78-110

6. Regression: Jack Lynch and the Border

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 111-135

7. Disarray on the Border and the Arrival of Thatcher

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 136-160

8. Haughey and Border Security

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 161-182

9. Conclusion: ‘Buying Themselves into Having a Political Say’

   • Henry Patterson

   Pages 183-199

10. Back Matter

    Pages 200-238

    PDF

The IRA's ability to exploit the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was central to the organisation's capacity to wage its 'Long War' over a quarter of a century. This book is the first to look at the role of the border in sustaining the Provisionals and its central role in Anglo-Irish relations throughout the Troubles.

• Nation
• organization
• The Republic
• British Politics

“Ireland’s Violent Frontier – The Border and Anglo-Irish Relations During The Troubles … has been thoroughly well-considered and assimilated by way of acute research/thorough analyses. … Thorough, comprehensive and very readable, Ireland’s Violent Frontier is a most worthy addition to the current spate of literature being written on what remains a most complex and inflammatory subject.” (David Marx, David Marx Book Reviews, davidmarxbookreviews.wordpress.com, November, 2016)

“Henry Patterson’s book on the relatively neglected, but intense, conflict on the 250 miles Anglo-Irish border is based on deep research in the available archives and interviews with key participants. Patterson shows how the Provisional IRA exploited this porous frontier, thereby presenting Dublin with a major headache in how to respond to the inevitable British cross-border incursions that ensued… This is an absolutely fascinating and original work of history which deserves to be read not just by those interested in the Northern Ireland conflict but by anyone concerned with frontier disputes in general. That it is so well written is an added bonus.” (Michael Burleigh)

“Many important aspects of the Northern Ireland conflict, particularly its military dimensions, remain seriously and curiously understudied. As the memories of the violent turmoil recede into the past, it is easy for crucial facets of the conflict to be ignored and forgotten. Based on much original primary and archival material, Henry Patterson's dispassionate, comprehensive and incisive study of the always tense, often murderous, condition of the Border in Anglo-Irish relations during the Troubles represents a remarkable and compelling exercise in historical recovery.” (M.L.R. Smith, Department of War Studies, King's College, University of London, UK)

“Through painstaking, detailed analysis Patterson provides an informed and insightful analysis of policing on the Irish border, a long neglected aspect of the Troubles. This book is essential reading for those interested in the Troubles, policing in times of conflict or border studies. It will continue to be relevant as cooperation between the two police forces grows.” (Vicky Conway, Kent Law School, University of Kent, UK) 

• University of Ulster, Northern Ireland

  Henry Patterson

Henry Patterson is Professor of Politics at the University of Ulster, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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