Pop Goes Northern Ireland

The third series of Pop Goes Northern Ireland begins with the year 1972, a tumultuous year with the watershed events of Bloody Sunday and the imposition of direct rule. The programme also charts the rise of the Loyalist movement, Vanguard, and the emergence of the UDA as a major paramilitary force. A brief moment of hope engendered by an IRA ceasefire evaporates in the carnage of Bloody Friday and Claudy. Through Operation Motorman, the army brings to an end the infamous "no-go" areas.

This episode focuses on 1977, a year which sees the government confront and defeat a Loyalist strike led by Ian Paisley and Ernest Baird, and backed by the UDA. Amidst tight security the Queen visits Northern Ireland as part of the silver jubilee celebrations. It's also the year in which the Peace People's Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams receive the Noble Peace Prize.

This episode goes back to 1988, a year which sees Anglo-Irish relations deteriorate in the wake of the Birmingham Six's failed appeal. The situation is exacerbated by the shooting of Catholic man Aidan McAnespie by a soldier at a border checkpoint. The killing of three IRA members in Gibraltar by the SAS leads to a grim sequence of events, among them being Michael Stone's attack on a funeral at Milltown Cemetery and the murder of "the two corporals." The violence continues with SAS operations against the IRA, and the IRA killing a number of soldiers in bomb attacks in Lisburn and Ballygawley.

Pop Goes Northern Ireland blends news footage, archive and the musical hits of the time to provide an enthralling and entertaining potted history of Northern Ireland dealing with our difficult past in a way that is entertaining, informative, fresh and accessible to all. This episode goes back to 1993, a year which sees John Hume and Gerry Adams involved in talks which could lead to an IRA ceasefire. Meanwhile, prime minister John Major and Taoiseach Albert Reynolds are involved in a series of intensive negotiations to create a framework for peace. Violence escalates with the IRA bombing of a fish shop on Shankill Road and the Loyalist-orchestrated Greysteel Massacre. However, by the end of the year there is the promise of an eventual peace with the publication of the Downing Street Declaration.

Pop Goes Northern Ireland blends news footage, archive and the musical hits of the time to provide an enthralling and entertaining potted history of Northern Ireland dealing with our difficult past in a way that is entertaining, informative, fresh and accessible to all. This episode goes back to 1997, a year which begins with the IRA still waging a campaign of violence. The general election brings Labour's Tony Blair to power, and new secretary of state Mo Mowlam forces the Drumcree Orange march down the disputed Garvaghy Road, causing serious disturbances. A few days later the IRA declare a ceasefire and Sinn Fein are admitted to political talks, leading the DUP to walk out in protest.