Books about Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish [recent] politics/history?

[sourrain]

Hi all, I'm new to this topic.

I'm looking for any recommendations anyone has on books about Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish politics and history. By 'recent' I'd probably say 1980s-1990s onwards.

Preferably non-fiction (but not too textbooky), or if the books are fiction, a real strong feel for the political context around which the plot is set. Does that even make sense?

Hopefully someone has some suggestions.

Thanks!

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a good non-fiction book about Northern Ireland. I also really enjoyed Anna Burns' Milkman (also set in NI) which is fiction but captures the claustrophobic, fearful atmosphere so well.

book 1

The woman in the Photograph - good story which charts significant aspects of feminism, worth reading,

Thank you

Have a look for anything written by Lindsay Patterson. The Autonomy of Modern Scotland is a bit text bookie but it's a great read and very informative, New Politics, New Scotland is good too if you want to learn more about devolution in Scotland. Also, a book that explains a lot about a big problem across some parts of the central & west coast of Scotland is The Glasgow Effect by Ellie Harrison.

Thanks @Amortentia these sound great.

It's a young adult novel but I loved BoG Child by Siobhan Dowd

Only the rivers run free is a great book describing the experiences of women in both sides of the conflict in NI.

And the Land Lay Still by James Robertson is a good walk through Scottish politics from the 60s onwards. Centred in Edinburgh with wee bits of Westminster and the Highlands. Enjoyable read.

Thanks for the recent suggestions!

Provos, Loyalists and Brits, 3 excellent non fiction books by Peter Taylor who reported NI news for many years.

I really enjoyed Colm Toibin’s Bad Blood. He’s a fiction writer normally but this is non fiction, his account of walking the border between NI and the Republic back in the 80s I think.

It's not even a little bit recent, but for Welsh history you can't beat Sharon Penman.

The Black and Tans by Richard Bennet
Angelas Ashes by Frank McCourt

Not a book, but Patrick Kielty has done a couple of good documentaries on Irish history. Well worth watching (his father was killed by IRA).

documentary 1

documentary 2

Blossom by Lesley Riddoch is excellent

Louise Kennedy - Trespasses
Fiction but very worth a read - set in 1970’s Belfast

Granny Made me an anarchist by Stuart Christie
Pacy narrative style that makes it easy to read.