Fin vs History Doing Ramadan in Greenland | IRA Hunger Strikes (Part 1)
Mar 23, 2026
They riff on the 1970s Troubles, from Bloody Sunday and direct rule to Operation Motorman and no-go areas. They cover IRA mainland bombing campaigns and notorious attacks that shocked Britain. They touch on loyalist terror like the Shankill Butchers and the Mountbatten assassination. A surprising detour considers doing Ramadan in Greenland.
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How Bloody Sunday Escalated British Control
- The British response after Bloody Sunday turned Northern Ireland into a heavily militarized zone and prompted political suspension of Stormont.
- Fin Taylor notes direct rule and a 21,000 increase in British troops by late 1972, shifting the conflict's dynamics toward heavy security operations.
Operation Motorman Forced The IRA Underground
- Operation Motorman removed IRA no-go zones but failed to destroy the Provisional IRA, forcing them to adopt small-cell guerrilla tactics.
- Fin Taylor describes British use of bulldozers and AVREs and the IRA's shift into underground 'O’Taliban' cells of three to five.
Ramadan In Greenland Means 21 Hour Fasts
- Horatio Gould and Fin discuss how Ramadan timing makes fasting in Arctic regions extreme.
- They highlight Wassam Azakir in Nuuk who fasts ~21 hours in Greenland summers, turning local practice into a notable extreme example.