The new FX historical drama Say Nothing is a fictionalized version of Northern Ireland’s Troubles as seen mainly through the real-life experiences of two women well known in Belfast, but little recognized in the United States. Their lives are the lenses through which the viewer comes to an on-the-ground understanding about the religious, cultural and political dimensions of a decades-long civil war that killed thousands. Americans were at once occasional partisans in the conflict and a crucial factor in moving to peace, with the Good Friday Accords in 1998.

Those watching Say Nothing may find themselves wanting to know more about the actual historical realities of Northern Ireland—and the forces that brought the violence to a conclusion. Because Senator Edward M. Kennedy and President Bill Clinton both played indispensable roles in ending the Troubles, the Miller Center’s oral history projects on those leaders contain valuable interviews—with Americans, Brits, and the Irish—about the realities depicted in Say Nothing. 

Most of these interviews concern the broader political dynamics at work in Northern Ireland, especially with the Irish Republican Army. But the internal details of the conflict are also discussed, including two oral histories with one of Say Nothing’s central characters, the enigmatic Gerry Adams, who is a frequent subject of discussion among almost everyone interviewed. How a bitter, and seemingly endless, conflict passed—with those committed to violence becoming advocates for peace—is one of the 20th century’s greatest success stories. These interviews provide first-person accounts of how the warring parties found peace, ending cycles of brutality that once seemed infinite.

Edward M. Kennedy: Senator (10/14/2005)

Edward M. Kennedy (2/27/2006)

Edward M. Kennedy (3/20/2006)

Edward M. Kennedy (10/9/2007)

Gerry Adams: President, Sinn Féin Party (From the Edward M. Kennedy Oral History)

Gerry Adams (From the Bill Clinton Presidential History Project)

Bertie Ahern: Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland

Dermot Ahern: Foreign Minister of Ireland

Samuel R. Berger: Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs; National Security Advisor

Tony Blair: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Garret FitzGerald: Prime Minister of Ireland

John Hume: Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party President

Anthony Lake: National Security Advisor 

George Mitchell: Senate Majority Leader; Senator, Maine

Niall O'Dowd: Journalist; Liaison between Sinn Fein and the White House

Carey Parker: Chief Legislative Assistant for Edward Kennedy

Albert Reynolds: Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland

Elizabeth Shannon: Wife of US Ambassador to Ireland William V. Shannon

Nancy Soderberg: Foreign Policy Director for the Clinton/Gore 1992 Campaign; Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs; Alternate Representative to the United Nations (From the Bill Clinton Presidential History Project)

Nancy Soderberg (From the Edward M. Kennedy Oral History)

Trina Vargo: Foreign Policy Adviser to Edward Kennedy; Founder of US-Ireland Alliance

Sharon Waxman: Senior national security advisor to Senator Kennedy