The central premise of this book is that the use of internment without trial in Northern Ireland from 1971 to 1975 has not been given proper academic investigation. The book provides a more comprehensive account of internment and assesses previously unexplored aspects of its use. Three main areas are examined. The high politics and intelligence surrounding the introduction of internment is explored; in doing accepted narratives regarding the measure are challenged. It is demonstrated that there was ample intelligence available on both republican and loyalist paramilitaries. Additionally it is ... More

The central premise of this book is that the use of internment without trial in Northern Ireland from 1971 to 1975 has not been given proper academic investigation. The book provides a more comprehensive account of internment and assesses previously unexplored aspects of its use. Three main areas are examined. The high politics and intelligence surrounding the introduction of internment is explored; in doing accepted narratives regarding the measure are challenged. It is demonstrated that there was ample intelligence available on both republican and loyalist paramilitaries. Additionally it is shown that a policy of not interning loyalist paramilitaries was pursued, firstly by Stormont and then Westminster, until 1973. It is argued that the introduction of internment was actively supported by both administrations. The book also highlights that the main consequence of this period was that the IRA was left with enough support to ensure that the conflict would not be over quickly. Finally the book examines the evolution of the conflict in Northern Ireland between 1970 and 1972 outside of Belfast and Derry. This is a substantial part of the book which concentrates on four towns: Lurgan, Newry, Dungannon and Enniskillen. It is shown that the development of the dynamics of the conflict, was certainly more gradual and possibly less inevitable in these areas than in Belfast and to a lesser extent Derry, and did not become uniform across the whole of Northern Ireland until after the introduction of internment.