The Irish Troubles were at a murderous fever pitch when US Marine John Crawley volunteered for the IRA. Bloody Friday, Bloody Sunday, the bombing of the British Houses of Parliament, and other deadly incidents had recently unfolded or were about to. Civilian casualties were common as British soldiers, Republican militants and Unionist police and militants, engaged in gun battles and car bombing throughout Northern Ireland. The death toll numbered over 1,000. The IRA split over how to react between the old-line IRA, and the new Provisional IRA — the Provos, mostly impassioned young men who were not hesitant to resort to violence.
Author of The Yank, John Crawley, will discuss the grueling challenges of his US Marine Corps training, how he put his skills to use back in Ireland in service of the Provos, and the notorious IRA figures he encountered along the way, including Martin McGuinness and Whitey Bulger.