This collection adds to the extensive literature on Northern Ireland and Ireland by bringing together most of the leading academic and political figures working in the field and offering a comprehensive, multidisciplinary overview of the historical process. The topics discussed include the remote and proximate causes of the conflict, recent developments within the two states on the island, the role of the Roman Catholic Church at the time of the foundation of the state of Northern Ireland, and the rise of the ecumenical movement. Particular attention is paid to the developments in Northern Ireland in the post-1969 period. The essays provide a context in which the problem may be better understood by the international scholarly community and by the interested general reader.