THE Troubles is the most common term for the conflict in Northern Ireland that spilled over at various times into the Republic of Ireland, England and mainland Europe.
The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast "Good Friday" Agreement of 1998. However, sporadic violence has continued since then.
The key issues were the constitutional status of Ulster and the relationship between its mainly Protestant Unionist community and its mainly Catholic nationalist community. Unionists and loyalists generally want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom while Irish nationalists and republicans generally want it to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland.
About 3,000 people, including 500 members of the British Army, lost their lives in clashes between the military, police, paramilitaries and civilians.