What do you think?
Rate this book
Trouble Songs: Music and Conflict in Northern Ireland
This is the story of music and conflict in Northern Ireland since 1968. Trouble Songs is related by Bono, Christy Moore, the Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, Orbital, Kevin Rowland, Terri Hooley, the Rubberbandits and the Miami Showband survivors. Musicians from punk, folk, rave and rock have responded to violence, bigotry and shocking events. The soundtrack includes remarkable work by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Sinead O’Connor, the Pogues, the Cranberries and Elvis Costello.
Stuart Bailie, a Belfast-based music journalist and broadcaster, has spoken to over 60 participants and reveals many untold histories. Trouble Songs is an alternative hearing of the conflict, a testament to music’s value as a persuader, agitator and peacemaker.
Trouble Songs has been supported by the British Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. It is published by Bloomfield Press, a collaboration between the author and Eastside Arts, Belfast.
Stuart Bailie, a Belfast-based music journalist and broadcaster, has spoken to over 60 participants and reveals many untold histories. Trouble Songs is an alternative hearing of the conflict, a testament to music’s value as a persuader, agitator and peacemaker.
Trouble Songs has been supported by the British Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. It is published by Bloomfield Press, a collaboration between the author and Eastside Arts, Belfast.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2018
7 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Bailie
7 books5 followersJournalist and author. Books: Terri Hooley: Seventy-Five Revolutions (2023), Trouble Songs: Music and Conflict in Northern Ireland (2018) and 75 Van Songs (2020). Also author of the 2017 exhibition book for the British Music Experience – We Hope You Will Enjoy The Show: British Music Since 1945.
Editor of Dig With It, music, arts and counterculture in the north of Ireland.
A media professional with 40 years of experience in music journalism, broadcasting and television.
Co-founder and original CEO of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast’s dedicated music hub – a 10 year focus to establish a resource for musicians, entrepreneurs, music tourism and outreach (2006-16).
Freelance writer, reviewer and columnist for NME, Mojo, Q, Uncut, Vox, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Mirror, Irish Independent, Irish Times, Hot Press, Belfast Telegraph, The Irish Voice, Classic Rock.
A BBC Radio Ulster presenter, 1999-2019. Scriptwriter and voiceover for BBC TV and radio documentaries.
Writer and narrator, ‘Still In Love With You: The Gary Moore Story’. BBC TV (2011).
Author, originator and narrator, ‘So Hard To Beat’. BBC TV. A two part documentary on the story of music from Northern Ireland (2007).
Script writer for BBC Radio 2 documentaries on U2, Glen Campbell, Thin Lizzy and Elvis Costello. Narrator, ‘Belfast Songlines’, RTE Lyric FM, 2014.
Sleevenotes for U2, Clannad, Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Thin Lizzy, Waterboys.
Curator of the NI Music Exhibition, 2009-16. Scriptwriter and originator of the Belfast Music Bus Tour in 2009.
Chief Coordinator of the Oh Yeah team that coordinated Belfast Music Week, 2011-13, followed by the Sound of Belfast programme 2014-15.
Music projects, events and collaborations with the BPI, UK Music, Musicians’ Union, PRS, PRS for Music Foundation, PledgeMusic, Help Musicians UK, Music Canada, IFPI, Creative & Cultural Skills, The British Council.
Lecturer, Periodical Journalism, Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, Belfast, 1996 – 1998.
Industry Fellow of the Institute of Collaborative Research in the Humanities at Queen's University Belfast, 2014-16.
National Skills Academy – Advisory Committee Member for NI, 2014-16.
Editor of Dig With It, music, arts and counterculture in the north of Ireland.
A media professional with 40 years of experience in music journalism, broadcasting and television.
Co-founder and original CEO of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast’s dedicated music hub – a 10 year focus to establish a resource for musicians, entrepreneurs, music tourism and outreach (2006-16).
Freelance writer, reviewer and columnist for NME, Mojo, Q, Uncut, Vox, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Mirror, Irish Independent, Irish Times, Hot Press, Belfast Telegraph, The Irish Voice, Classic Rock.
A BBC Radio Ulster presenter, 1999-2019. Scriptwriter and voiceover for BBC TV and radio documentaries.
Writer and narrator, ‘Still In Love With You: The Gary Moore Story’. BBC TV (2011).
Author, originator and narrator, ‘So Hard To Beat’. BBC TV. A two part documentary on the story of music from Northern Ireland (2007).
Script writer for BBC Radio 2 documentaries on U2, Glen Campbell, Thin Lizzy and Elvis Costello. Narrator, ‘Belfast Songlines’, RTE Lyric FM, 2014.
Sleevenotes for U2, Clannad, Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Thin Lizzy, Waterboys.
Curator of the NI Music Exhibition, 2009-16. Scriptwriter and originator of the Belfast Music Bus Tour in 2009.
Chief Coordinator of the Oh Yeah team that coordinated Belfast Music Week, 2011-13, followed by the Sound of Belfast programme 2014-15.
Music projects, events and collaborations with the BPI, UK Music, Musicians’ Union, PRS, PRS for Music Foundation, PledgeMusic, Help Musicians UK, Music Canada, IFPI, Creative & Cultural Skills, The British Council.
Lecturer, Periodical Journalism, Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, Belfast, 1996 – 1998.
Industry Fellow of the Institute of Collaborative Research in the Humanities at Queen's University Belfast, 2014-16.
National Skills Academy – Advisory Committee Member for NI, 2014-16.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 28, 2018
This is a cracking book. The stories leap from the page as the reader is taken through the history of music during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The connection is real and multi-faceted. Tribal, challenging, escapist. Humanist and conciliatory.
May 6, 2020
In this excellent book, the legendary Stuart Bailie examines the impact and meaning of music throughout the 40-year conflict of The Troubles. He uses his thorough, warm and poetic prose to dissect the communal spirit that artists from Van Morrison and The Beatles, to Stiff Little Fingers and Punk in the '70s and U2 and Orbital throughout the '90s involved themselves in. He balances and exemplifies the beauty of power and music in a crisis, interspersing brilliant conversations with musicians, label owners and activists with horrific accounts of tragedies and riots alike.
I would've liked slightly more detail on the impact of the rave and electronic music communities since the ceasefire. Belfast's nightlife is now one of the healthiest in the UK, so to cover no ground on that front seems a shame. Nevertheless, it was brilliant to read about how my other musical love - punk - was so instrumental and so empowering in the way it dealt with its surroundings, whether it was kicking back against the paramilitaries or bringing people together (or both!).
Music, as typified here, really is *THE* healer.
I would've liked slightly more detail on the impact of the rave and electronic music communities since the ceasefire. Belfast's nightlife is now one of the healthiest in the UK, so to cover no ground on that front seems a shame. Nevertheless, it was brilliant to read about how my other musical love - punk - was so instrumental and so empowering in the way it dealt with its surroundings, whether it was kicking back against the paramilitaries or bringing people together (or both!).
Music, as typified here, really is *THE* healer.
October 28, 2018
To quote Billy Bragg, this is mixing pop and politics! A balanced (not an easy task for anyone who has lived through the experience of northern Ireland) journey that sets the events of the Troubles against the songs that had either reflected or been written about the tragedies and injustices in the 6 counties. Some interesting anecdotes and surprising cameos (especially from Chas Smash from Madness and the link between " (My Name is) Michael Caine) and NI). The odd typo aside, this is a fascinating and perceptive book, particularly for those who grew up in the period, and a keen reminder of how things used to be (a worthy warning and aide memoire for the DUP and Sinn Féin as we look at current events).
January 23, 2022
cant wait to tell my therapist how much i cried reading this
January 17, 2025
“You should look to your grave, that’s your country” - Dolores O’Riordan
I have been in and out of possession of this book for 5 years. I took out a copy from my university library, but returned it to work on my dissertation, and then my friend received a signed copy from Stuart himself, which is the copy that I finally read (after misplacing it for a month).
I would say this is a pretty legendary book, which is probably why I put it off for so long. The blend of research with interviews and local legend makes this very “one and done”, I cannot imagine how anyone could do this book better, not just in the strength of the research but also I find Stuart’s tone of voice throughout the book pretty cordial despite the subject matter.
One of the greatest strengths in the book is the scope, tying in the Civil Rights movements in Ireland with that which was happening in the United States, key dates of the conflict mixed with smaller, lesser known events, the scale of the conflict to include England and the Republic of Ireland, as well as throwing in over 150 song titles (I listened to most of them and put them in this playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7DO...).
Another strength in Stuart’s narrative is that he brilliantly toes the line between being impartial and apolitical. The events speak for themselves, but what he does instead is give reverence to so many local figures who are often overlooked in favour of politicians.
One shortcoming of this book to me was the 90s. I thought this would have been pretty obvious fertile ground for the music element of the Troubles, considering that it is generally accepted that the rave scene was a small but vital part of cross-community relations with younger generations (see: the Channel 4 documentary Dancing On Narrow Ground), What little (albeit pretty good) lip service it does get is in the form of ‘Belfast’ by Orbital, but I think there could have been more about the 90s in general leading up to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
Other than that, a brilliant, dense and thorough history book.
I have been in and out of possession of this book for 5 years. I took out a copy from my university library, but returned it to work on my dissertation, and then my friend received a signed copy from Stuart himself, which is the copy that I finally read (after misplacing it for a month).
I would say this is a pretty legendary book, which is probably why I put it off for so long. The blend of research with interviews and local legend makes this very “one and done”, I cannot imagine how anyone could do this book better, not just in the strength of the research but also I find Stuart’s tone of voice throughout the book pretty cordial despite the subject matter.
One of the greatest strengths in the book is the scope, tying in the Civil Rights movements in Ireland with that which was happening in the United States, key dates of the conflict mixed with smaller, lesser known events, the scale of the conflict to include England and the Republic of Ireland, as well as throwing in over 150 song titles (I listened to most of them and put them in this playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7DO...).
Another strength in Stuart’s narrative is that he brilliantly toes the line between being impartial and apolitical. The events speak for themselves, but what he does instead is give reverence to so many local figures who are often overlooked in favour of politicians.
One shortcoming of this book to me was the 90s. I thought this would have been pretty obvious fertile ground for the music element of the Troubles, considering that it is generally accepted that the rave scene was a small but vital part of cross-community relations with younger generations (see: the Channel 4 documentary Dancing On Narrow Ground), What little (albeit pretty good) lip service it does get is in the form of ‘Belfast’ by Orbital, but I think there could have been more about the 90s in general leading up to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
Other than that, a brilliant, dense and thorough history book.
July 13, 2025
Had this book on my tbr for 5 years, finally got to pick up a physical copy at a market last year. I was interested in this as I was interested in the punk scene in the north during the troubles, this book goes into this and so much more. Spans across several decades, all genres of music, and not only musicians from the north but also musicians from all round the world and how the conflict influenced them. My only complaint is it feels like it tried to cover a bit too much at times and feels a bit choppy.
April 21, 2018
Given the author's standing as the one of the country's leading music journalist and broadcaster, this was a book that I couldn't wait to read, and it didn't disappoint. Broader ranging in its scope music wide than I expected, and meticulously researched, this book is a must read for anyone who, like myself, has an interest in the musical, social or indeed political history of Northern Ireland.
April 3, 2020
I really enjoyed the book and perfect follow up to trip to Belfast in October 2019
July 12, 2022
I found the content of the book very interesting, but I found the structure difficult to follow at times.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews