Welcome to the inquiry with me, Tanya Beckett, each week one question for expert witnesses

and an answer.

It was on Good Friday, the 2nd of April 2021, that rioting erupted in a corner of Northern

Ireland's vibrant capital, Belfast.

To many people around the world, it may have looked like a familiar scene from Northern

Ireland's troubled past, but actually it was violence on a scale that hadn't been seen

for years.

Within days protests had spread to nearby towns, soon hundreds of youths were out throwing

petrol bombs, stones and fireworks, dozens of police officers were injured.

Some raised fears that a deal hammered out in 1998 bringing peace to Northern Ireland

could now be under threat.

The instability prompted Northern Ireland's first Minister Arlene Foster to announce she

would leave her job amid talk there'd been a collapse of confidence in her leadership.

So this week we're asking, is peace under threat in Northern Ireland?

Not one, the troubles.

The peace process in Northern Ireland is a fragile process and right from the very beginning

from the early days there was unease about it.

To understand why violent riots in Northern Ireland set alarm bells ringing across the

nation, we need to go back in history with our first expert witness.

My name is Katie Hayward and I'm Professor of Political Sociology at Queen's University

Belfast in Northern Ireland.

One hundred years ago the island of Ireland was partitioned following a violent struggle.

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