Northern Spy centers on two sister spies who get entangled in Northern Ireland’s deadly conflict. For us, it offered a thrilling education into a world we’ve rarely traveled, so we asked Flynn where to next? Ahead her down-the-rabbit hole recs to learn the ins and outs of the Troubles, the IRA, and Northern Ireland.
Derry Girls, show written by Lisa McGee
You can’t watch Derry Girls without falling in love with Erin, Claire, Orla, and Michelle, a group of teenage girls who happen to be living in Derry during the Troubles. I’m crazy about this show—it’s so funny and so smart. The soundtrack is also sensational: I love the group dance scenes to “Rock the Boat” and “Saturday Night”, and the last scene of the first season, set to “Dreams” by the Cranberries, gave me chills.
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer by Anthony M. Amore
Rose Dugdale was born into a wealthy British family, but became an art thief and IRA sympathizer. She led one of the biggest art thefts of all time in 1974 when she stole a Vermeer and other masterpieces from a country manor in Ireland. How Rose went from a debutante presented to the queen to an IRA radical makes for an extraordinary, jaw-dropping book.
The Crown Season Four Episode One, show written by Peter Morgan
The fourth season of The Crown dramatizes one of the IRA’s most notorious operations. It’s a fascinating (fictionalized) look at how the conflict was experienced in the heart of power in London, by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth herself.
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Say Nothing investigates one woman’s disappearance from Belfast in 1972, a crime at the center of a vast, complicated story of lies and betrayal. It’s beautifully researched and written, and such a powerful reckoning with the Troubles.
One by One in the Darkness by Deirdre Madden
This is one of my favorite novels of all time. It’s about three sisters, Cate, Helen, and Sally Quinn, and how the violence of the Troubles breaks into their daily life in a small town in Northern Ireland. It’s a beautiful family saga, and the characters are so full of life.
“Inside Politics” podcast by BBC Radio Ulster
In my book, Tessa works at the BBC in Belfast, where she produces a political radio show inspired by this one. I find it such an excellent window into current events in Northern Ireland. You can listen to it on the BBC Radio Ulster site every week, from anywhere in the world.
Being Various short story anthology edited by Lucy Caldwell
I love this anthology of short stories from Ireland. Each story is so distinctive and compelling—from Yan Ge’s eerie modern ghost story to Louise O’Neill’s searing look at being a girl in a small town. Together the collection showcases the explosion of incredible writing coming from Ireland.
Mná an IRA (“Women of the IRA” in Irish) documentary by TG4
Each episode in this documentary series looks at a former IRA member, like Rose Dugdale and Martina Anderson, and examines her radicalization, training, and role in the conflict. It’s fascinating to hear about their experience in their own words, and to learn about their double lives as IRA members.
