[Norn Iron]

Certainly. There are so many participants in the conflict that it would be impossible to say for sure which action lead to which. A lot of information isn't in the public domain so that also has had an impact.

I think 1966 was a turning point. There was a thaw in 'hostilities' during the mid-60s but the commemoration of the anniversary of the 1916 Easter rising and the reaction to it brought the thaw to a shuddering halt.

Also the thaw was seen as a threat to the two aspirations and people like Hume and Paisley took to the streets. Their street politics and the politics of the times elsewhere produced a lethal cocktail.