Shifting securities in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Drawing on interviews conducted between September 2004 and April 2006, this article examines the interaction between perceptions of security generated within Northern Ireland and those shaped by the international media concerning 'global terrorism' post 9/11. It offers insights into a society where security concerns are shifting from large-scale political violence to the consequences of social separation and paramilitary-related criminality. It argues that the local conflict provides frames which shape attitudes to the media (typologically and sceptically), and that Northern Irish society sheds light on the effects of long-term exposure to heightened security concerns and transnational media.