Northern Ireland's 1968 in a Post-troubles Context

1968 has always been regarded as a moment of great change across the globe. In recent years, new studies of nations having experienced a 68-style upheaval have proliferated, leading to this period being held up as one of transnational revolt. A notable absence from this ever-growing list has been Northern Ireland. Despite having experienced a period of revolt that at the very least should have seen what happened in the streets of Belfast and Derry between October 1968 and February 1969 mentioned in the same breath as Paris, Berlin and Rome, Northern Ireland's 1968 has, at best, been forced to the very periphery of any transnational collective memory of this period. This essay will argue the occultation of Northern Ireland's 1968 from the European collective memory of 1968 is to be understood through an appreciation of the impact of the bloody post-'68 trajectory that was the Troubles. This very divergent aftermath buried the memory of this period and only since the dawning of peace in Northern Ireland has it been possible to frame what happened in a non-insular context. This is one potent example that demonstrates how shifting contexts in Northern Ireland have forced important reappraisals of the past, with all sorts of ramifications for the future.