The Troubles in Northern Ireland, a violent conflict between Protestants and Catholics that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998, stemmed from deep-seated political, cultural, and religious divisions. The Protestant majority was supported by the United Kingdom, which sent troops to secure Protestant rule. The Catholic minority faced historical discrimination in housing, employment, and voting rights, fueling resentment. Protests escalated into widespread sectarian violence, paramilitary campaigns, and clashes between Catholic groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Protestant groups such as the Ulster Volunteer Force.
The IRA was determined to drive the British out of Northern Ireland. They killed British soldiers and police officers; they detonated bombs. Many IRA members had been arrested and incarcerated in the notorious prison known as the Maze.
On November 26, 1978, two IRA assassins killed Maze prison official Albert Miles. Five years later, twenty-four-year-old Catholic Kevin Barry Artt was put on trial for Miles’ murder. Artt had confessed to the crime but later claimed innocence, stating that the confession had been coerced through seven days of ill-treatment and threats. The trial raised many questions: Was Artt guilty? If not Artt, then who had killed Albert Miles? What was the IRA’s role in the murder? Was the British judicial system in Northern Ireland capable of delivering a just verdict?
The trial of Kevin Barry Artt helps explain the Troubles in Northern Ireland: the struggles of the working-class Catholics, prejudicial law enforcement, British judges, excessive police interrogation, the violent tactics of the IRA, and the distrust and enmity on both sides of the sectarian divide.
Trial Materials:
Artt’s trial simulation includes 16 witnesses representing Catholics and Protestants, police investigators, IRA members, the victim and defendants families, Maze prisoners, and the defendant. Five exhibits are also included to be presented at trial. 
The simulation includes roles for two prosecutors, two defense attorneys, and a judge (played by the teacher). Every student in the class will have a role as a witness, defendant, attorney, or juror. All witnesses are real historical figures who will testify to actual historical events.
The trial resources include a teacher’s guide explaining the historical significance of the trial, along with student background information on the historical context, time period, and circumstances in which the case is situated. Students are also provided with key terms, a timeline of significant events, and role sheets that give each student specific information their character can testify to.  
Additional materials include information on the trial’s aftermath, discussion questions, and guidelines for effective student attorneys, witnesses, and jurors. Rubrics are also included to assess attorneys, witnesses, and jurors.