ABSTRACT
The chapter considers media representations not as entertainment or reflections of real life in Northern Ireland, but as containing specific messages or ideologies about how the conflict in Northern Ireland is to be understood. It examines how these recent representations can be seen to redefine a number of key terms in the post-cease fire context, particularly in relationship to the representation of Irish nationalism. The popular cultural understanding of Irish nationalism, particularly for the British viewer, is predominantly based on how the media depicts the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its political wing Sinn Fein. This is partly because the political conflict in Northern Ireland is primarily covered by news and current affairs broadcasting which focuses on 'news' stories and pays little attention to the more local or generalised issues that relate to the cultural and national differences between the people of Northern Ireland.
