The Republic of Ireland is declared in 1949. Whitaker and Lemass open the economy, and in 1973 both parts of Ireland join the EEC. In the North the civil rights movement of the late 1960s collapses into thirty years of the Troubles and some 3,500 dead. The ceasefires of the 1990s open a door.
The guns fall silent in August; a Eurovision interval act conquers the world in April.
Quick answersWhen was the Republic & the Troubles in Ireland?
The Republic & the Troubles spans 1949 to 1997 in this atlas. The Republic of Ireland is declared in 1949.
Who ruled Ireland during the Republic & the Troubles?
Power was divided: Republic of Ireland (26 counties); Northern Ireland (UK) (6 counties). County boundaries are modern approximations.
What is a lesser-known fact about the Republic & the Troubles?
Through the worst of the Troubles, a Derry shopkeeper named Brendan Duddy ran a secret back-channel between the IRA and British intelligence from his own living room — for over twenty years. The peace process travelled through his front door.
↗ links go to the relevant Wikipedia article for each event and ruler (sources & further reading).