One recurring theme of this collection by Irish author, Ciarán MacAirt, is that war is a dirty business and we are diminished by the death of each and every victim.

Another is that behind the horror, behind the terror, are human love stories but those who are left behind are starved of truth. Information is today’s battlefield and families are yet again on the frontline.

But hope shines at every turn for we can make history if we follow the paper trail. Family memories only stretch back so far and the British state is a history thief but the truth is there to be discovered in dusty archives if you roll your sleeves up and dig.

Ciarán MacAirt is an award-winning writer and human rights activist. He is author of the critically acclaimed book, The McGurk’s Bar Bombing. These essays and articles represent a personal journey and find him trudging from the killing fields of World War 1 to the back-streets of Belfast where death-squads roamed.

These podcasts are produced for the charity, Paper Trail, and a project supported by the European Union's PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and Victims and Survivors Service.