Northern Ireland journalist Brian Rowan explores the unfinished peace process and the unanswered past by presenting new eye-witness accounts of the conflict. Beginning just before the ceasefires of 1994, he documents stories of policing, prisoners, the dissidents, the disappeared, the 'endgame' decisions and decommissioning.

Unfinished Peace: Thoughts on Northern Ireland's Unanswered Past

History

Rowan, Brian

Europe

Colourpoint

This is a book about political stasis; the purgatory that Stormont became, and the sins of that long standoff. The story begins in January 2017, with Martin McGuinness's dramatic resignation as Deputy First Minister, and chronicles all the behind-the-scenes negotiations that ultimately resulted in the restoration of the Executive in January 2020, with the 'New Decade, New Approach' agreement. Then, that new fight with a fearsome and unknowable foe: coronavirus. Political Purgatory charts the three years from the collapse then restoration of the northern Executive to Covid-19 in the wider frame of building peace after conflict, and we turn the next corner into the centenary of Northern Ireland and that louder call for Irish unity since Brexit, like a piece of heavy machinery on fragile ground, has left cracks across the Union. Spanning several decades, some of the biggest names on the inside of Irish and British politics, including Gerry Adams, Naomi Long, Peter Robinson, Julian Smith and Simon Coveney, help veteran journalist Brian Rowan turn the pages in what President Clinton has called the 'long war for peace'.

Political Purgatory: The Battle to Save Stormont and the Play for a New Ireland

Merrion Press

In Living With Ghosts renowned veteran journalist Brian Rowan retraces his steps through Northern Ireland’s conflict years, as he bravely delves into the darkness of those times. His story takes us beyond the often strict boundaries of the news into the very real dilemmas and fears behind its scenes. In his journalistic career Rowan walked the thinnest of lines, where morals and principles were blurred, and as a result his mind became tortured. This book is an explanation, not a confession. He goes deep into his contacts with the IRA, the loyalist organisations, MI5, Special Branch, the army, and the many other players in the conflict period. And he joins the dots on a path out of ‘war’ in a place that has not yet found peace of mind. Rowan thinks and writes inside a moral maze, and in this book he invites us into his nightmares of remembering and to times he will never forget. Living with Ghosts is a moving and deeply personal account of one man’s doubts and decisions, and the challenges of reporting a war on his doorstep.

Living with Ghosts - The Inside Story from a 'Troubles' Mind

Biographies & Memoirs

The Armed Peace: Life and Death after the Ceasefires

The year 1994 marked a seminal point in the Irish peace process. The IRA and the Combined Loyalist Military Command had just announced their ceasefires. This was the new beginning—or so it seemed. The original IRA ceasefire was blown away by the London Docklands bomb explosion in February 1996. The loyalists killed again, and the largest of the paramilitary organizations in this community—the Ulster Defence Association—became an enemy of the peace process. In The Armed Peace, Brian Rowan looks at life and death after the ceasefires. He examines the transition from war to peace, the struggle between guns and government, and the intelligence battle during which the IRA is said to have ventured behind enemy lines. Long after 1994, the spooks, the spies, and the IRA's director of intelligence were still at play. Rowan writes on his contacts with the IRA's P. O'Neill and uses his republican, loyalist, and security sources to tell the inside story of the ceasefires and Northern Ireland's long journey from war towards peace.

Mainstream Publishing

The year 1994 marked a seminal point in the Irish peace process. The IRA and the Combined Loyalist Military Command had just announced their ceasefires. This was the new beginning—or so it seemed. The original IRA ceasefire was blown away by the London Docklands bomb explosion in February 1996. The loyalists killed again, and the largest of the paramilitary organizations in this community—the Ulster Defence Association—became an enemy of the peace process. In The Armed Peace, Brian Rowan looks at life and death after the ceasefires. He examines the transition from war to peace, the struggle between guns and government, and the intelligence battle during which the IRA is said to have ventured behind enemy lines. Long after 1994, the spooks, the spies, and the IRA's director of intelligence were still at play. Rowan writes on his contacts with the IRA's P. O'Neill and uses his republican, loyalist, and security sources to tell the inside story of the ceasefires and Northern Ireland's long journey from war towards peace.

Paisley and the Provos

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

The Brehon Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rowan, Brian. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Rowan, Brian

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rowan, Brian. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Unfinished Peace: Thoughts on Northern Ireland's Unanswered Past

Political Purgatory: The Battle to Save Stormont and the Play for a New Ireland

Living with Ghosts - The Inside Story from a 'Troubles' Mind

The Armed Peace: Life and Death after the Ceasefires

The Armed Peace: Life and Death after the Ceasefires

Paisley and the Provos