In Easter 1970 war came to a small Belfast community. Ballymurphy has since been at the center of the Irish conflict, playing a vital role in the developments of the past thirty years. This book examines the impact of the conflict in this area of West Belfast, where today 12,000 people live in just eight housing estates. It is the story of a war told first-hand, through the words of ordinary human beings as they reveal the truth of their existence. Hailed as an immediate classic on first publication in 1989, this new edition has been completely revised to cover the events of the last decade.

Foreword by Bernadette McAliskey
Glossary
Introduction
Prologue

Part I Under Siege
1. The Easter Riots
2. Early Days
3. Belfast in Flames
4. Emergency
5. Pursuing the Republic
6. The Battle of Ballymurphy
7. ‘Is there life before death?’
8. Internment Killings
9. A Peculiar Kind of War
10. The Westrock Massacre
11. Motorman
12. Deadlock

Part II The War Goes On
13. A Test of Wills
14. Counter-Attack
15. ‘Little Beirut’
16. Britannia Waives the Rules
17. Ceasefire
18. ‘All You Need is Love’

Appendix: The Dead of Ballymurphy