In my article I will explore everyday life in Northern Ireland during the “Troubles” in McLaverty's novel, Cal. This narrative "represents a curious hybrid between the domestic romance and thriller genres." (Cleary 121) The “Troubles” (ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland) date back to the late 1960s and ended in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement. The two main political parties (unionist and nationalist) were against each other. This period was full of discrimination, murders, bombs, roits, intimidation, burned houses, unemployment and discrimination. Catholics were discriminated against. This discrimination has caused enormous problems in the lives of Catholics. Some people declared that they were simply against the religion and not the people; «I have nothing against the Catholic people. It's the religion itself that I don't like." (MacLaverty 69) like Cyril Dunlop who was an Orangeman. Protestants thought that killing a Catholic was not a crime. They lobbied against Catholics such as “Every day Catholics were shot dead for no apparent reason, […]”. (MacLaverty 80) or “The men had been castrated before they were killed – one fellow had his head in the jaws of a vice and the vice was tightened until his skull was cracked; and a Catholic butcher was murdered and hung on a hook in his own shop like a ribeye. (MacLaverty 80) There were some stereotypes that Catholics could not be a good man. In McLaverty's novel we can read that Cal McCluskey's father, Shamie, is a good Catholic man but many people think that a Catholic could hardly be a good man. Catholics had fewer job opportunities, they did not find work easily. If they got, they worked in unpleasant jobs and were not very happy doing it as... middle of paper... no role in Ireland to represent the event from other cities. People might know a lot of information about the country. The news always reported events of the day such as “[…] Two hooded bodies had been found on the outskirts of Belfast; bombs had exploded in Strabane, Derry and Newry but no one was injured; there was another increase in coal prices; and finally there was the elephant from Belle Vue Zoo whose teeth needed to be filed. "(MacLavery 57-58) or other unimportant news. Life was very difficult and hopeless in Northern Ireland during the "Troubles". People, especially Catholics, had to learn to live with riots, murders, bombings , discrimination and political violence. Many people did things they didn't want to do, but they did them because if they resisted they would be punished. They didn't know when their families were attacked by hostile groups.