Voice of the Troubles: Stories from the Irish Conflict(52/59 minute versions)

Summary:

Exploring conflict in the modern world through the stories and experiences of the Irish Troubles

Tones:

Emotional, Intimate, Melancholic

Language:

English

Description:

For Americans watching current events in Iraq, the stories of the Troubles are haunting. And when the looking glass is pulled back we see eerie similarities between the two conflicts: warring factions on all sides with a foreign army caught in the middle trying desperately to keep the peace.

What is it like to live in constant conflict? What does the brink of civil war sound like?

Voice of the Troubles answers those questions for an American audience by entering the lives of those who lived in Ireland during the 70s and 80s, waking up each morning to find bodies on their doorstep and bombs under their kitchen window.

The program begins with an intimate conversation with a hunger striker's brother who was with him on his last night alive. We then hear two starkly different interpretations of the riots and protests that followed. The second segment follows the earlier lives of two children growing up during the Troubles, the good times and the bad. The program concludes in a soundscape of wisdom on the effects of conflict, how it erodes even the most fundamental elements of society.

It's history passed through the lens of today's headlines.

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