The Border

A clear and concise history ... Ferriter's judicious book shows that Brexiters' recklessness ... is nothing new, and that it has always been the ordinary people of Northern Ireland who have paid its price.'Christopher Kissane, Guardian'An invaluable new addition to the growing canon of Border literature ... a very readable book.'Darach MacDonald, Irish TimesFor the past two decades, you could cross the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic half a dozen times without noticing or, indeed, turning off the road you were travelling. It is frictionless - a feat sealed by the Good Friday Agreement. Before that, watchtowers loomed over border communities, military checkpoints dotted the roads, and smugglers slipped between jurisdictions. This is a past that most are happy to have left behind but might it also be the future?From the 1920 Government of Ireland Act that created the border, the Treaty and its aftermath, through the Civil Rights Movement, Thatcher, the Troubles and the Good Friday Agreement up to the Brexit negotiations, Ferriter reveals the political, economic, social and cultural consequences of the border in Ireland. With the fate of the border uncertain, The Border is a timely intervention by a renowned historian into one of the most contentious and misunderstood political issues of our time.'A good starting point for all concerned [with Brexit].'Colm Larkin, Financial Times'A riposte to all the blather and bluster written and spoken in recent times about Brexit and backstops and borders.'Donal O'Donaghue, RTE Guide