This Interview Would Have Been Illegal

Some moments in history hinge on the decisions of a few individuals. One choice, one meeting, one change of heart — and the course of a nation can shift forever.

In this week’s Downstream Ash Sarkar travels to the James Connolly Centre on the Falls Road in West Belfast to sit down with one of the most historically significant — and controversial — figures in modern Irish history: Gerry Adams. Once considered a terrorist by the British government, Adams was banned from having his voice broadcast on UK airwaves.

He was interned without trial, held on a prison ship and later in Long Kesh, and for decades stood at the centre of the Irish Republican movement. He would go on to play a key role in the peace process, shaking hands with royalty and helping guide the struggle from armed conflict to negotiation.

For many, Adams is a peacemaker. For others, he remains inseparable from the violence and trauma of the Troubles and the legacy of the Provisional IRA. This is perhaps the most historically consequential individual ever interviewed for Downstream.

Love him or loathe him, Gerry Adams helped shape the Ireland of today. Watch now — and draw your own conclusions.