Ali Marie Watkins: The Next One Is for You

Join for this launch of a gripping tale of crime, rebellion and the hazy line between them – the definitive account of America’s hand in the Northern Ireland conflict. From New York Times reporter and Pulitzer finalist Ali Watkins, this true-crime saga is the long-buried story of how a group of Philadelphia gunrunners armed the IRA at the height of the Troubles.

Northern Ireland, 1975. Violence has erupted on the streets of Belfast. After years as a sleepy, guerrilla army, the IRA is clashing with Loyalist gangs and heavily armed British soldiers. But the Troubles have spilled beyond the small island: an ocean away, in the heart of Philadelphia’s Irish enclave, a teenage girl finds a letter in her mailbox. Inside is a bullet, and the message is clear: the next one is for you or your family.

Ali Watkins is a journalist for the New York Times on the London bureau, previously covering crime and law enforcement. She was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in national reporting for coverage of the Senate’s report on the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program.

Part of Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics>>